Nine to Midnight
by AroVolturi999
Summary: Just when lone Vampire, Curtis Johnstone thought he had gotten his daughter back, his joy is short lived. The Volturi are not pleased that he revealed the secret of their existence to her and have come to clean up his mess. However like Curtis, Julie has a gift which intrigues Aro to the point of sparing her life. But at what cost? (Sexual content & homosexual references present)
1. Chapter 1

**_I don't own Twilight nor have any financial stake in writing this fic in any shape or form. The only characters I own are the ones that obviously haven't appeared in the Twilight franchise. It should be obvious which ones I'm referring to! _**

**_This is all for pure entertainment._**

**_As of 21st of September, 2014. This piece will begin some slight editing. Just correcting any spelling or grammatical errors mostly. The plot it's will remain untouched._**

**_Updates to the story it's self will come soon. I apologise for any inconvenience caused!_**

**_Thank you to all those who have been kind enough to post reviews, favourite and subscribe to this story. It means so much to me and I appreciate it more than you'll know. Kudos to you all, loves!_**

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Curtis Johnstone appeared to be a charming, intelligent and socially attractive man. Everything about him made you want to say 'yes'. As long as you agreed to whatever he was saying, everything was going to be okay. He was perfectly choreographed from the way he walked down to the way he talked. He was like sunshine; warm, bright and simply a joy to be around. Yes, he was, of course, very handsome too.

He was the complete package.

Some people would say he was blessed from the day he was born, others would say he just had the perfect upbringing. Apparently well looked after, educated and groomed to be the most agreeable person that ever roamed the Earth. However if he could, he would tell them that it was none of those things. He knew how to get the best out of anyone and anything because of what he was...

He was a Vampire.

Not only a Vampire but a Vampire with a gift.

As the legends would tell you, Vampires were naturally alluring creatures as well as being one of the most deadly to humans - if not the most. Everything about them drew their victims in; the way they looked, the way they sound, even their smell. No human upon this Earth could refuse their advances. They could be screaming obscenities and waving a cleaver in their faces but humans would still happily drift to them. Their mere presence was dangerously magnetic.

Curtis could do everything that a Vampire is said to be able to do. He possessed supernatural speed, enhanced hearing, strength of an Army and Godlike beauty that would break Aphrodite's heart. His gift was something else; he possessed the gift of strategy - the ability to overcome any obstacle with absurd ease. If he were out numbered by those who were more powerful than he, Curtis would find away to escape unscathed. He could make his enemies fall inlove with him. He could very well outsmart the Gods themselves.

He was remarkable... but only when he chose to be.

For hundreds of years now, he had been living amongst humans undetected. Although he didn't remember much of his own human life, he knew that being one meant that you weren't supposed to be perfect (although most try to be). His gift would only make things worse for his fitting in if his appearance didn't already make it a hard enough job. The only time he allowed his special ability to perform to its fullest was when it came to acquiring his own company; NEO Technologies.

He took over the company when it was on the verge of bankruptcy and within a month it was back in business and better than ever. Pretty soon everyone and their dog had something that was made by NEO Tech. It was fast approaching being in the same league as Microsoft or Apple, all thanks to his talent. Curtis was the best of the best as a strategist.

He created jobs within the small community of Norwood, central-regional New South Wales and soon it flourished with the company's prosperity. It drew interest from all around, people were moving in and it was greatly welcomed by local businesses. It was a welcomed chain reaction that began when Curtis decided to make this dreary old town his new home. It was good times all around, especially for a seemingly distant relative of Curtis'.

Julianne 'Julie' Lawson recently moved to Norwood a year prior to the resurrection of NEO Tech with her elderly father, Martin Lawson. She had been looking for a job for quite sometime but it seemed as no one would give her a chance. No matter how willing to learn and enthusiastic she had been. Julie was of small stature, standing at a mere 5 ft tall. She had just turned 20 but was often mistaken for being only 16. This contributed to her lack of success in finding work that was ideal for someone that looked more their age. She hated being anything that resembled a 'lay-a-bout' and was happiest when being kept busy.

She applied for the position as a Receptionist at NEO Tech and within the hour she was asked for an interview. The next day she sat down with Curtis, as nervous as a rabbit before a wolf and they had a rather easygoing conversation. Julie, unlike all the others, was unfazed by the impossibly handsome man before her, a trait about her which amused him. Most of the other applicants he had interviews with always went off in a daze but not her. She was positively nonchalant. She looked him straight in the face and was more worried about how to best answer the questions than how she looked to Curtis. All of the others had taken to batting their eyelashes (the dazzled females) or fidgeting uncomfortably in their seats (the males who he made wonder about their sexuality).

Julie was hired on the spot and afterwards was shown around the company. One would think that being surrounded by humans all day long would drive a Vampire insane with bloodlust but even Curtis found a way around it. Even being within Julie's presence.

It had hit him like a tidal wave, the smell of her blood was intoxicating for Curtis. She set off the kind of aroma that would have made a Vampire with a weaker resolve tear down anyone in his path to get just a drop of her blood upon his lips. It was ecstasy inducing, his mouth filled with venom and his throat burned with thirst. What stopped him was the fact that Julie reminded him of someone that he had lost a very long time ago.

Although his human life was a faded memory, he had a daughter to which Julie was the doppelganger of. She was kidnapped, raped and murdered when she was around her age. He was devastated and heart broken from the incident. Even more so when his wife committed suicide from the shock of it all, leaving him to drown in his grief alone. In a fit of vengeful rage, Curtis tracked down his daughter's murderer only to find that he was a Vampire and was bitten for his trouble.

And now here she was, hundreds of years later, to which he perceived as the modern version of his treasured deceased. It was like his daughter had been given back to him.

Six months later, the vast success of his company was beginning to draw attention of the suspicious kind from those of his own. Quite specifically the higher ups in his world and Curtis was forced to deactivate his gift for the time being. He made it so a new line of products failed to boost sales and had to let some of his employees go to keep up appearances. At the time the global economy were all facing financial crisis so it came as no shock to anyone that his business would 'suffer' as well.

Even though this was all simply a safety measure to prevent any sort of trouble coming his way, it still annoyed him that he had to hold back on his talent. He took great pride in his work and it irked him to face the embarrassment of a downturn in the face of his competitors.

Julie was worried about being let go herself because she was the last to be employed. However, to her surprise, she was one of those that were spared. Curtis never let on who she was to him and he tried to treat her just as he would everyone else under him, but it always managed to show. She was clearly the favoured one in the office. He gave her a raise a couple of months into her employment because he overheard her anxiety about paying the house bills on time. He made no fuss about her wanting to stay at home to look after her father on his bad days while he fired someone else for taking a day off without sickness. In his defense he did catch that employee drinking at the pub when he said he had the flu.

Unfortunately the attention didn't die down as much as he hoped and it wasn't long before he caught the eye of a passing nomad. Curtis was working late at the office, it was 5:30 in the afternoon and Julie was also staying behind to finish off some invoicing for tomorrow's truck run. She had just gotten to sorting out the Delivery Dockets and the Packing Slips when one sheet of paper caught her finger and left a shallow cut along the side of her pointer digit.

It all happened in a flash, the sound of shattering glass, a hungry snarl and the next thing the girl knew she was lying on her back, pinned to the ground by a enormous Vampire who was well over 6 ft tall and very muscular. Julie screamed in horror as she was confronted with black, shark-like eyes and startling white, perfectly lined teeth inching towards her exposed neck.

There was another snarl but it wasn't coming from her attacker. Curtis had burst into the room and thrown himself at the nomad. He was torn from her shaking form and thrown onto the floor a couple of feet away. Furniture was knocked over and paper flew everywhere. His eyes, normally golden from drinking animal blood for most of his immortality were now also black. His pale, beautiful face now twisted in animalistic rage.

Julie stared in awe and terror at the two males as they circled one another like a pair of wild beasts, sizing each other up before deciding when to attack. If they were going to attack each other at all. The nomad was almost twice her Boss's size in height and width but none the less turned and jumped out the shattered window he had evidently burst through in the first place.

The cat was out of the bag, or in this case Vampire and Julie was understandably confused and scared from the experience. After Curtis calmed her down and reassured her that he was of no threat to her, he explained exactly who he was and that it was important for Julie to keep his secret. Under any circumstances, she was to never tell anyone who he was otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.

It did occur to him to change her into a Vampire but when it boiled down to it, he simply couldn't do it. He didn't want her to be cursed with immortality, to be forced to watch those that she loved around her die. He wanted her to live a full life, like he would have wanted for his daughter who was not given the chance. He knew it was against the law to allow a human to know about the existence of Vampires and live but he couldn't bring himself to kill her. He would have been no better than the one who murdered his child. Although he knew she wasn't his daughter, he would be damned if he allowed any harm to come to her.

Unfortunately, no matter how well at keeping a secret Julie may have been, someone had heard of her knowing and Curtis was now a marked man. Not even a week went by and the CEO of NEO Tech was forced to face his punishment at the hands of the most powerful Vampire Coven in the world.

The Volturi.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Julie's POV third person_**

When it came to clothing, Julie was what people would refer to as a 'tomboy'. She found the prospect of wearing skirts or dresses uncomfortable and would avoid wearing such if she could help it. Unfortunately for her it was part of the dress code to wear skirts in the Office and she grudgingly conceded to such. Because of her lack of height, she always thought her body shape was not suited to wear anything remotely 'girly' and so always preferred the humble pants/leggings.

She examined herself critically in the mirror of the onsite bathroom before she had to leave and return to her desk. The mirror it's self was positioned so she could only see herself from the middle of her chest up and although she had gotten used to the high level of the mirror, it still made her slightly annoyed. Why couldn't she be at least an inch taller? Everyone seemed to be literally above her, to which she blamed for being an easy target for bullies when she went to school.

She was small and was too nice for her own good and therefore anyone with a nasty mindset made a beeline for her. She tried to fight back but she didn't really know how. It felt awful to be teased and insulted and even more so when they began to physically abuse her. When it got to that level, she wished with all her might that she could somehow make them feel what they were making her feel. If only she could flip around all the hurtful things they did to her and use it against them. It got so bad that she feared the thought of going to school and happily dropped out when the opportunity arose.

You would think by now that she would have gotten over the pain and torment she went through but she always suffered a minor anxiety attack whenever she took a step out the door. She was fearful of interacting with anyone other than her father who was kind and always patient with her. He was quite literally her only friend at the time. She avoided looking anyone in the eye and would get very defensive when people tried to talk to her, even if they genuinely meant her no harm.

When it was time for her to look for a job, she likened the experience to a real life nightmare. Not only did anyone who interviewed her judge her by her looks, they were also repelled by her refusal to interact with them properly. She was shy, unwilling to communicate freely and avoided all eye contact. These people were understandably looking for someone they could easily work with and unfortunately for Julie, her crippling lack of social skills turned away any potential job offers.

That all changed when she met Curtis, her current employer. He had to be the friendliest person she had ever met in her life. Like her father, he was kind and exceedingly patient with her, even when she made mistakes that would have earned her a good talking to. He made her feel like she wasn't being judged, that everything was fine and worrying was a thing of the past. For the first time since before she attended school, she was relaxed and confident.

No matter how silly anything she had to say seemed to be, Curtis happily listened to her and made sure to make everything okay. It was like he went out of his way to cater to her needs and in return she was a very loyal and trustworthy employee. Everytime he asked her to do something, she did it without hesitation. She came to love her job because Curtis made it enjoyable.

But like all good things...

From the bathroom, Julie could hear someone's muffled voice talking over the paging system and Julie paused, straining her ears to listen. However she couldn't quite make out whether the announcement was meant for her in particular or someone else so she quickly finished up and opened the door. Before she took a step out into the corridor, she was confronted by Curtis. The dark contact lenses he usually wore to cover up his golden eyes were absent as he looked down upon her with a expression that made her heart beat faster.

He looked scared.

"Julie..." he breathed, his velvety voice laced in panic before he grabbed her arm with the kind of bruising force that she hadn't felt since almost a week ago. He dragged the girl quickly through the warehouse, dodging forklifts and pallets as they went. They hurried out into the parking lot, passing more pallets of stock that were waiting to be transported inside. She gave a startled yelp, the skirt she was wearing restricting her thighs from moving swiftly enough to keep up with her Boss's long strides. The hem of the dark gray garment dug into that part just above her knees as he lead her towards his shiny black Mercedes.

"Get in!" he hissed, the vehicle beeping to indicate that the alarm had been deactivated and the doors were unlocked.

Before Julie had a chance to reach for the door handle, she was suddenly shoved up against the tin wall of the neighbouring warehouse her superior's car was parked infront of. She let out a small "oof!" whilst being made to be trapped between the wall and the cold, hard back of the Vampire male. Although he was wearing a blue dress shirt, she could still feel his cold, rock hard flesh through the cotton polyester combination. He utilised his body as a shield against whoever or whatever he was trying to protect her from. It wasn't long before she heard who it was he was defending her against.

"Mmm... she _does_ smell good."

Julie looked down at the finger she had cut that fateful day she found out that Curtis was a Vampire. She had only taken off the bandaid that morning and the tiny wound had almost healed it's self over so only a shadow of the sliced skin remained. He had told her that her blood smelled appetizing to him, especially when exposed to the raw essence of it when she injured herself. Even the most minor of pin pricks could lead to a feeding frenzy.

She peeked around Curtis's arm in an effort to see who had spoken and saw three of the most beautiful men she had ever seen besides her Boss. The tallest of them was standing to the left of Curtis, he had long brunette locks that went down just past his shoulders. He was well built to almost buff with a defeated look on his face that suggested he had suffered a great loss. It made Julie pity him greatly and want to reach out and comfort him if it weren't for the sadistic smile that was playing along the lips of the man that was standing to the right.

He had light blonde hair which reached the base of his neck and would have looked almost silvery in the sun if it weren't so cloudy that afternoon. He appeared to be the youngest of the three but the most cruel and reminded Julie of the bullies she had to put up with when she went to school. He was slender in build and about the same height as the man in the middle of the two who looked to be the most pleasant of the three.

The man in the middle also had long hair that was darkest brown to almost black and partially tied back to show off his smooth, elegant features. He was obviously the Leader of the three, if the central position didn't give that away, his air of authourity did that for him. To Julie's dismay, they all had stunning red eyes with a milky film to them. Curtis had told her that Vampires with red eyes drank human blood while ones with gold eyes, like him, drank only animal. Her heart began to speed up at remembering this piece of information and she began to shake violently behind him. She looked up at Curtis and for a Vampire who was hundreds of years old, he appeared rather modern compared to the three that were apprehending them.

He had dark hair, more like Julie's than the Vampire's in the middle who she would say was a shade lighter than theirs. He wore it in a cropped cut that stuck up and flared away in longer spikes at his forehead. He somewhat resembled David Tennant when he was the Tenth Doctor on _Doctor Who_ but only paler and with a little more body. He was the perfect description of a 21st Century gentlemen, while the three before them appeared to be from another time and place completely.

"Dear Kurt." The man with the darkest hair from the middle said as he stepped forward, sounding genuinely saddened. His voice was smooth and velvety, like Curtis' but was like feathers and rather musical. He spoke with a pronounced, classical accent that would have been charming and pleasure inducing if it weren't for the dangerous tone to the situation. He shook his head and gazed over at him like he was chastising his favourite child. He then held out his hand to Curtis who eyed it disdainfully. Meanwhile Julie furrowed her brow slightly at the way he addressed her Boss with an air of familiarity. 'Kurt' could easily be the diminutive of 'Curtis' but seeing the way her Boss was acting around them, she felt as though the informality wasn't welcomed at all.

"Aro." he spat, his lip curling to reveal his gnashing, perfectly aligned teeth, "Stay away from us." he said in a low and very dangerous voice that would make the bravest man in the world recoil in fear. He leered at them all darkly, his posture was rigid as if about to strike. The growl of defiance that emitted from him only backed up this theory.

"A human knows about us. She must die." The blonde sneered, seemingly amused by Curtis' protectiveness towards the tiny female behind him. Julie blinked in realisation, from the sound of his voice she discovered that he was the one that commented about her scent. Her hands came up to cling to her superior's sides as if he were a security blanket.

"Leave her alone, she's not going to tell anyone- hey!" Curtis' hand was immediately snatched up by the one he referred to as 'Aro'. As soon as contact was established, a flood of emotion immediately washed over his flawlessly handsome features before he eventually allowed Curtis to snatch his hand back. A smile of fascination lit up his face before his eyes slid down toward the girl cowering behind him.

"She reminds you of your daughter." he said slowly, deliberately sounding out every word with relish. He looked positively delighted although Julie had no idea why he would be happy with such a fact. In all honesty she was too scared to try to find any meaning behind what was happening, all she could think about was when this was all going to be over. "I would like to meet her."

"No way, you can go to hell-"

"Felix."

Curtis was suddenly ripped away from her grasp and Julie cried out in shock as another large Vampire had her Boss restrained and kneeling on the ground beside the blonde. Julie's hand was then taken into the cold, iron-like grip of the Vampire who had grabbed his hand earlier. Her whole body was quaking from head to toe as the dark haired immortal bent his head over their clasped hands for a moment or two. He then raised his head, looking her straight in the face with in a mildly surprised expression.

"Interesting." he murmured and like flipping to a different TV channel, his disposition changed dramatically from silent contemplation to unadulterated joy. He began to laugh, softly at first before building up into a crescendo of childlike glee. He dropped her hand and clapped his own together in pure delight like he just won the lottery. He eyed Julie with obvious, heated hunger blazing within his crimson orbs. "I have been waiting for someone like you." he then came in very close to her, Julie shivered from the proximity as his hand came up to ghost over the side of her face and flutter down towards her chin, "_Julianne_..."

"Get your filthy hands off her!" Curtis was yelling, he looked positively wild now and was thrashing around against his bonds. Even the big, bulky Vampire named Felix that was holding him was having some trouble keeping him still. It wasn't so much that he was angry, it was more that he looked beyond terrified at the scene. He looked very scary to Julie and the previous feeling of safety and security she had when around him had disappeared as if it were never there in the first place. She was once again plagued with that dreaded debilitating anxiety she had suffered from since she began going to school.

The tragedy etched Vampire began moving towards Curtis, he seemed unperturbed by what was going on around him. The blonde moved out of the way and came to stand beside Aro, his own scarlet gazed fixed excitedly upon him. The moment the brunette came to stand infront of the kneeling Curtis was then he began to shout at Julie, "Close your eyes, Julie! Close your eyes! Now, sweetheart!"

Julie did as she was told and immediately shut her eyes. There was a sound of something like stone breaking to pieces and her Boss's screams were abruptly cut off.

The girl stood there, frozen on the spot and completely blinded by her own doing. She didn't want to open her eyes although the commander of such a request was no longer alive, rendering it expired. Someone was holding her tightly against their unmoving, cold chest so she couldn't run even if she wanted to. The silence rang out loudly all around them, only the sound of her own breathing and the afternoon breeze was audible.

* * *

_A few moments prior..._

**_Curtis' POV third person_**

Curtis' gift had come back into play and allowed him to see several routes in which he could escape the predicament he was in. But out of all of these options, he discovered to his horror for the first time that his gift had a fatal flaw;

It was only limited to his _own_ direct personal wellbeing and no one else's.

He could escape, there was no doubt about that. He could have weaved his way out of the Volturi's clutches and ran off but not without offering Julie as a sacrifice to distract them. Throughout the confrontation he saw the look of thirst on all their faces, her blood was calling to them. He was going to lose his 'daughter' a second time and he couldn't stand the thought.

So selfish was this desire to avoid seeing his daughter's doppelganger dying, he came to the decision to make sure they killed him first. Seeing as his gift was now useless to him, he turned it off just before he saw the look of greed on Aro's face when he gazed at Julie.

Curtis' spirits immediately peaked, Aro would not act that way towards a human if he were going to kill them. Julie had something he wanted and upon his discovery, he had hope for her survival. However it was too late for him to make a move to escape. The moment Caius grinned smugly in his direction and saw Marcus approaching him was when he knew it was the end.

He was going to die.

He didn't want Julie to bear witness to his demise and so he cried out to her, "Close your eyes, Julie! Close your eyes! Now, sweetheart!"


	3. Chapter 3

_**Aro's POV third person**_

_How amusing, he changed his name from 'Kurt' to 'Curtis'. Yes, that was really inconspicuous!_

The building that held host to the company, NEO Technologies was now in flames. The remaining human employees of the company were locked inside and being burnt alive. Their screams of agony and terror however fell on deaf ears. When it came to keeping the secrecy of their kind intact, the Volturi were ruthless.

The remains of the Vampire that had foolishly revealed his existence to the human girl had been tossed into the building before they lit the blaze. Meanwhile the said girl was being lead away via the Limousine they arrived in towards Sydney International Airport to return back to Italy.

The girl that Kurt had referred to as 'Julie' was surprisingly docile during the transference but it was obviously all boiled down to shock of it all. She was crying when the head of her supernatural employer rolled and continued to cry when she was forced to watch her workplace destroyed by fire. Other than that, she appeared dead to the world.

Aro never took his eyes off Julie the entire journey back to Volterra. When he touched her skin as an attempt to read her mind, he saw nothing. There was only one other who's mind he could not read and she was firmly loyal to the Cullens, A Coven of 'vegetarian' Vampires who he perceived as a threat to his own. But now he got his own version of their mental shield as it would seem and once she was turned, he would have to reorganize the guard. Julie will become his first line of defense against anyone who dared oppose them.

Marcus was sitting beside him and Aro thought he detected a slight look of intrigue on his face when his gaze happened to fall upon Julie. He hadn't seen such a look since he had gazed at a certain interracial couple a mere few years ago. The raven haired male reached out and touched his hand and upon seeing what was going through Marcus' mind, he winced as if electrocuted. Marcus turned to his Coven brother knowingly in response.

"Are you sure?" he muttered in a voice so low that no human ears could hear him. Marcus nodded slightly and Aro furrowed his brow, glancing over at the girl once more before leaning back in his seat and looking up at the ceiling of their Private Jet.

After all this time?

Julie was slumped to the side in her own seat across from the two Volturi leaders with her legs brought up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her knees. She was staring off into the distance, silent tears drifting down her devastation strained face. The uniform she had on for work that day was all crumpled, her long dark hair ruffled from the confrontation and the little make up she wore was smeared from crying.

Caius was eying her too but with discomfort and his usual air of irritability. Aro threw him a look of warning before wondering briefly to himself why he had such a reaction. Normally he was so used to his moods that he wouldn't consider it a normal day without it. But today it bothered Aro to the point of wanting to tell the blonde male to lighten up already. Julie was as much of a threat as a baby bunny.

They arrived back in Volterra at close to 8 o'clock at night, thus allowing them all to move around without fear of exposure. From the Airport, Julie was once again shoved into the back of a Limousine, still as unresponsive as she was before. It was alittle cold that night and Aro felt compelled to offer her his cloak to wear. When she didn't answer him (he had the distinct impression that she did not or would not hear him), he took the liberty of wrapping her up anyway. She was bundled up next to him, her dark eyes staring blankly out of the tinted windows of the luxury vehicle.

The Castle was mostly bathed in silence as Julie was lead inside by Aro who had his arm snaked around her shoulders possessively. Felix had been dismissed for the night and returned to his post beside Demetri. Caius and Marcus drifted off towards the throne room while Aro took the girl to where his private quarters resided.

From the time she stepped into his room, it was then Julie finally showed some signs of life. Her chin lifted up to take in her new surroundings with a look of curiousity and awe. The room was beautiful, it was old but well kept and elegantly designed. The style of furniture mostly consisted of dark St Louie mahogany. Aro detested anything that even hinted modern and so had his rooms done with what one would refer to as the 'Retro Victorian' theme.

To Aro's amusement, Julie looked like she was in ecstasy the minute she laid her gaze upon it all. A modern girl with old fashioned tastes? He quite liked that. It showed him that despite the disadvantage of being born into a world ruled by television and iPods, she still held appreciation for the superior period of human history. It was definitely an attractive trait to him.

"You will stay here, my dear." he murmured as he glided past her, she looked up at him, startled as if she had just noticed that he existed. He smirked down at her and she winced slightly in surprise, although he was no stranger to such, the girl's reactions to him were particularly delightful. "I'll be back in a while. Feel free to make yourself home, _Julianne_." Her full name suited her better than that nasty, shortened, commonly known counterpart.

Marcus and Caius were seated at their usual places in silence as Aro entered the room. As soon as the doors closed behind him, it was then the blonde began to speak, "What is the meaning of this, Aro?" he threw at him sharply, getting up out of his seat as soon as Aro stepped up onto the platform to take his own place between them. The tactile telepathist regarded him with a wary look.

"The girl has a gift." he replied simply as he sat himself down calmly in the middle throne. Marcus turned his head toward him as soon as he was settled. He didn't say a word though, merely gazing over at him patiently. "And also Marcus has informed me of something rather _interesting_ in regards to the human."

Caius sat back down and contrary to Marcus, looked extremely impatient, "Well?" he prompted, sounding pushy in every sense of the term earning another sharp look from the raven haired Vampire. The suspense was nearly killing him and for his rude outburst, Aro decided to make him sweat it out for a while.

Just a little while.

"It's there but it will take time." Marcus rasped from his seat, turning his head away from the two. His face shrouded in agony as per usual. "The shock of what happened will have an impact on the early stages of the-"

"But why her?" he said softly, interrupting him. His own bout of agony creeping into his own voice, although not as severe as his brother's. "Sulpicia-"

"You chose her," Marcus intercepted in a voice that was as fragile as a autumn leaf. "You didn't allow fate to decide. I've told you before, Aro. She was _never_ your true mate."

Aro looked like he was going to argue but Marcus was right. When Sulpicia past away at the hands of the Romanian Coven a few months ago, Aro didn't feel the sort of torturous loss that was clearly present in Marcus when he lost Didyme. His distaste towards them wasn't amplified to vengeful insanity the way it should have been when a Vampire lost his mate. Yes, he loved her and the loss was disappointing but apparently it wasn't the right kind of love otherwise he wouldn't have thought of looking at another.

He had shamelessly flirted with other female Vampires in the past. He even entertained himself with previous human Secretaries before they proved they were no more to him then just dinner. He definitely looked around, even while he was married to Sulpicia and up until recently, he never had the desire to dedicate himself to one.

That was of course until he saw the human girl that Kurt had so desperately tried to protect. Her heart was beating rapidly like the bunny that Aro had mentally referred to her as back on the private Jet. Her little whimpers of fear sounded like the mews of a newborn kitten which would coax pity out of the cruelest of beings. She was quivering in fear, the touch of his hand only made it worse and Aro was surprised to find that it hurt to have her feeling that way around him. He didn't understand why though, he usually loved the sense of power it gave him to make people fear him.

"Aro?" Caius' voice floated in from far away bringing Aro back to reality and to his senses. He turned towards him and then shook his head. No, he can't be feeling that way about her. It was strange as well as extremely _uncomfortable_. It made him feel weak and at her mercy which he didn't care for at all. What if his enemies found out about her? The last thing he needed was to have weaknesses in the face of his greatest foes.

Gift or no gift, the girl had to go.

Aro got up abruptly and left the room, leaving Marcus and Caius behind to their own thoughts. He swiftly made his way back to his rooms thinking all the while how he was going to get rid of her. One option stood out most attractively from the rest and his mouth began to flood with venom at the thought.

He would have her blood.

When he entered the room, he found Julie lying on the loveseat sound asleep. She was still wrapped up in his cloak like it were a cocoon, curled up with her back to him. Her small form rose and fell from her need to acquire oxygen, a need that was absent from Aro since he was turned over 3 millenia ago.

He closed the door softly behind him and stalked towards the girl, looking down at her with his eyes dark with thirst. She smelled absolutely delicious, even more alluring then Bella Swan's had been at the time.

As he came closer, his hand was raised up in the air ready to strike. Soon he would have her blood gracing his lips and running down his throat like a warm fountain of sunshine and the sweetest of nectar. He would drain her while she struggled feebly in his arms, his mouth on her neck and feeling her slightly weaken against him with every second that ticked by. Her fragile little body would become limp, the light of life leaving her dark chocolate brown eyes...

Aro was suddenly on his knees, a searing hot sensation pierced his chest and he howled in pain. The hand that he had raised in the air came down to rest upon the place where his frozen heart lay within him. It was like it came alive and punished him for even thinking about hurting the little human female lying before him.

Speaking of which, the girl had woken up with a start and had turned around in alarm, those said eyes resting upon him with a look mixed with fright and concern. He in turn gazed back at her, red eyes met brown and the tension between them could be cut with a knife. She opened her lips to speak and Aro was instantly alert.

"Are... are you going to kill me?" she whispered to him, her voice surprisingly steady for someone who appeared as frightened as she did. Aro's facial expression immediately softened at the sound of her voice as he jerkily shook his head. Why couldn't he kill her? It wasn't as if she could fight him off. She was so small and so weak compared to what he was capable of doing to her. He flinched when he saw that her posture visibly relaxed in response.

Don't be so trusting, my dear.

"When can I go home?"

"Never." this was an answer that was meant for both of her inquiries. He couldn't kill her even if he tried (and by the Gods did he try!), same goes for letting her go. The thought of her leaving made his dead heart throb painfully. He winced as if expecting the agony he few just a moment prior would return but thankfully it didn't.

He was sure he couldn't stand it again.


	4. Chapter 4

"Never? What do you mean 'never'?"

"You will remain here _forever_. That's what the intended meaning is."

"We'll just see about that."

Aro had moved away from Julie right after realising that letting her go was not an option. On the other hand it would probably be safer for her to stay as far away from him as possible. Her scent was far too enticing and it took every bit of his self control to restrain himself from sinking his teeth into her olive toned flesh. She was his singer, the perfect orchestra constructed to play the symphony written only for him.

There was a rustle of heavy fabric and stomping foot steps making their way to the door that lead out into the corridor. However Aro was too quick for the little human to get too far and he flitted right before her. She ran right into him and bounced back slightly like a beach ball. She looked up at him with a slight furrow of her dark, defined brows.

"You're not going anywhere." he said firmly, staring her down until she had to look away from his scrutinizing gaze.

"Why? Because you _own_ me?"

Aro quirked a brow, "You know about our kind."

"As if anyone would believe me if I told! Not that I would have anyway, I promised-" her voice cracked, just before she said her dead Boss' name. She had only known him for a little while and even briefer as a Vampire but she felt close to him. It was like she had lost a family member that had been around for as long as she could remember.

"Nevertheless, you are to stay indefinitely."

Julie's dark eyes snapped back towards him, who the hell did he think he was?! "Why don't you go take a long walk in the sun?" she spat acidly. She wasn't normally this mouthy, but when she got mad, boy, did she let it rip! Usually she was quiet, kept well to herself and very polite but clearly it was a different story when someone dared make her cranky.

Aro smirked in response to her sass and with one swift movement, picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. She yelped in surprise and began banging her fists as hard as she could against his back. Meanwhile he was indifferent, to him it felt like gentle prods upon his stonelike skin. He swiftly made his way into the large ensuite bathroom with which was all done in various shades of gray and black. He unceremoniously dumped her into the middle of a vast empty black spa and turned on the water.

Warm, steamy streams spurt out all around her from pipe holes implanted within the onyx porcelain and began to quickly drown her fully clothed form. She was kneeling in the middle of the onslaught, her mouth hanging open and her body rigid in shock. She still had her black, ballet style slippers on and coupled with the dark pantyhose that covered her legs, getting them soaking wet was needless to say uncomfortable. She let out a noise that was halfway between a cry and a gasp, her arms raised and bent at the elbow in a feeble attempt to shield herself from the embarrassment of her position.

"Oh my God!"

"Oh hush. It's just water."

"But my clothes are still on-!"

"I'm not stopping you, my dear Julianne. Take them off."

Julie immediately turned red, the horror of her situation was only amplified after he made such a suggestion. And so nonchalant like it was no big fuss! He was a complete stranger - nay - her kidnapper and here he was telling her to strip down in front of him? Could all this get any worse?

"But-!"

"I can assure you, you haven't got anything that I haven't seen before." his lip curled as he looked her up and down, "And trust me, I have seen plenty."

"Whore." she whispered, not intending for Aro to hear her. But due to his Vampire hearing, he did as if she was next to him had said it right in his ear.

He frowned at her disapprovingly, "Such foul, boorish language isn't worthy to be spoken by a lady." he retorted and then shrugged, "Alright, if you are that bothered I'll leave you to bathe yourself. Just be sure to wash that filth out of your mouth while your at it. It really doesn't suit you, my dear." And at that he turned and left the room in a flourish, closing the door crisply behind him.

She remained where she was, on her knees in the middle of the water that had reached her chest by now. Julie's eyes were firmly locked upon the door as if afraid he would come back just as she was getting naked but thankfully no such thing happened. She released a long held breath of relief before beginning to take her clothes off as quickly as she could. Every article she freed herself from she tossed over the side.

Her uniform landed wetly upon the floor which was a elaborately tiled design with the same grays and blacks to match the posh surroundings. Now that she was naked and shoulder deep, the water automatically stopped flowing as if it were programmed to do so.  
But wait a minute, what was she going to wear when she was done?

~

A simple, white dress shirt was draped casually over the arm of the loveseat that Aro's human companion used earlier as a makeshift bed. It was of course one of his own and would have to do until the girl acquired new clothing. He wasn't going to allow her to have her uniform back, the outfit didn't do her justice and thought Kurt was an idiot for making her wear it everyday. She was obviously uncomfortable in it, the way she carried herself told him that much. A bigger protest would have been given about her clothing other then it being wet when he had insisted she take a bath.

He knew Julie was going to say something about the lack of underwear with the shirt but unfortunately he didn't make a habit of keeping women's intimates in his rooms. She would have to put up with it for the night and tomorrow he will have to send the human Secretary out to shop for what she needed. Besides, the shirt he supplied for her to borrow will cover anything she didn't want him to see.

Speaking for himself, he wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

The sound of her approaching heart beat met his ears and shook him out of his train of thought. He turned his head away from the window towards the bathroom just in time to see her emerge with only a bathrobe on. It was of course designed for him so it did look a tad too big on her but she was well covered.

Modesty. He liked that in a woman.

Her long dark hair had been toweled dry but was still ruffled and slightly tangled from the wash. He moved swiftly to the loveseat, picking up his shirt with one hand and offered it out to her. She in turn looked at it suspiciously before eventually reaching to take it and murmuring her thanks. She disappeared into the bathroom once more before coming back out a few minutes later wearing his shirt.

She stood awkwardly on the spot for a moment or two, although the hem of it reached just above her knees like the skirt of her uniform had, she still held it down firmly. It was like she was scared that non-existent breeze would manifest out of nowhere and blow it up. He pursed his lips together at her reaction.

"Relax my dear, I can't see anything." Aro softly assured her before going to pick up his cloak and held it up over the loveseat. He nodded over to it, silently telling her to lie down and go to sleep.

As she was settling against the plush, cushion-y surface, she looked up at him, "But-"

"Everything will be taken care of in the morning." he replied with a nod. She looked unsure but never the less laid her head down upon the crook of her arm and tried to relax. Sleep was calling to her and soon her eyelids drooped and she drifted off into the comforting throes of slumber.

~

It did occur to Aro to ask one of the female members of his coven for something for Julie to borrow but thought better of it. Jane looked like she maybe her size but it was well known that she didn't really like sharing anything. Not only was she the jealous type but she was also possessive. Sometimes she wouldn't even share with her twin brother who she clearly cared about more than anything. Also given her track record when it came to the Bella's gift, he didn't want to chance exposing Julie to her just yet.

His mind then conjured up Renata or Corin who may have something that would fit his human companion too. But then again, Corin was always preoccupied with keeping Caius' wife, Athenodora content with her situation in the tower. Renata, bless her, was too clingy and would have been overly enthusiastic to oblige him, to the point of perhaps making Julie feel uncomfortable. The girl was on edge enough as it was.  
Aro stayed by Julie's side all night long, he was like a statue watching over her as she slept. He had seen sleeping humans before but she in particular was quite fascinating to watch. Sometimes she murmured in her sleep, jerking once on her back before righting herself by turning on her side towards him. Whatever kind of dream she was having, it must have been a eventful one because the cloak that covered her almost slid off her several times during the night. Each time he immediately covered her back up. He maybe a male and a Vampire but he was also a gentleman.

She slept well close to midday and during the early morning hours, Aro had fulfilled his mission to get Julie everything she needed via the Secretary as soon as she reported for work. The Volturi King had prepared a list of what she may need and left the rest up to commonsense. He gave her explicit instructions to not get any skirts or dresses, yes he himself liked the sight a lady in a dress but he didn't want to force Julie into one... yet.

By the time Julie had woken up, a pile of fresh new clothing had been presented to her on a chair before her. Aro in the meantime had disappeared to get on with is daily duties and to give Julie the privacy that she clearly fallen inlove with since the bathing incident. He wrinkled his nose in disgust when the Secretary had returned with the modern rubbish that young people wore nowadays but the underwear made him almost laugh out loud. She had chosen very lacy ones that would make Eros himself blush and feel like an inexperienced school boy.  
The human stared at the underwear in horror, she couldn't wear something like that! But then again she couldn't go around commando either. After much debate, she grudgingly slipped on a white set that made her feel cheap the moment it touched her skin. The next time she saw Aro, she was going to give him a piece of her mind!

As soon as she was dressed in an outfit consisting of a comfortable pair of black leggings, a white blouse and a more elegant version of her black, ballet style slippers, she set off to find Aro. She didn't even take a step out of the door when she was confronted with the labyrinth before her. How did these people find their way around in a big place like this?

Just as luck would have it, Julie came across a young man who was walking past in the distance. She jogged over and half way to approaching him, he turned around and she saw that he was the youngest Vampire she had ever seen. He had chestnut coloured hair that was spiked up in the front just like Curtis' had been. His eyebrows were considerably thick but suited his tough yet, handsome, cherubic face. His burgundy orbs took her in with a slight smirk on face.

"Looks like you're lost." he said in a voice that was deep yet smooth like a perfectly tuned bass guitar.

Julie nodded slowly, "Yeah, I-"

"Follow me, I'll have you joined up with the rest soon." and before she could question his meaning, he had turned and walked off in a random direction. Julie struggled to keep up with his swift strides as they rounded a corner and was lead straight into the foyer. There was a small group of humans who were walking by following a stunning female Vampire who was urging them all to stay together. The male who had lead her here nudged her insistently towards them.

"Enjoy the tour." he said with a wink before flitting off out of sight. Julie wanted to call after him but didn't catch his name and so went off to tail the group. Perhaps she could escape this place without them knowing? But then again how was she supposed to do that when she had no money nor even her mobile to call for help? All her essential belongings were kept in a shoulder bag back at the Office, which was surely destroyed in the fire.

Lovely.

They were all lead into a huge room with a high, magnificent dome ceiling. Patches off light were streaming in here and there illuminating the interior which consisted of cream and moss green tiling. She barely took in the sight of three thrones and their occupants before screaming erupted around her and they were all surrounded by bloodthirsty Vampires, picking them all off one by one.

"Julianne!"

Before anyone had a chance to attack her, she was enveloped in a pair of strong arms and shoved up against someone's chest protectively. She gasped and at first struggled feebly against the stranger before she realised who it was that was holding her.

Snarling rumbled from Aro's chest as he pulled her away from the feeding frenzy in the throne room and took her outside to safety. Julie was shaking in his arms, her face was pale and cool sweat droplets formed upon her brow at what she just witnessed. It was no less than terrifying and the reality of it all finally hit home. She was surrounded by Vampires who would not hesitate to rip her throat out if it weren't for Aro's hand.

"What in the world were you thinking? Why didn't you stay in my rooms?!" he shouted at her, bearing down upon her with his body shaking too but in rage. She let out a tiny squeak and recoiled at once, hunching her shoulders and backing up slightly in submission. Her earlier annoyance about the underwear she was forced to wear completely out the window.

"I-I'm sorry!" she stuttered out, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "I didn't mean-"

"Cindy! Take her back to my rooms. NOW!" Aro bellowed at the blonde Secretary who had been sitting at her desk gawking at the scene. She jumped out of her seat fearfully and immediately took Julie away by the hand.


	5. Chapter 5

For the rest of the day, Julie was confined to Aro's living quarters whilst he went about his daily business. He knew he had scared the living daylights out of her but seeing how close she was to being devoured by one of the guard, it had to be done. He would rather have her alive and terrified than be dead.

Now everyone in the Castle knew about Aro's human 'pet' and was threatened with death if anyone dared go near her again. He had found out that Alec was the one who intentionally lead her in with lunch and yelled himself hoarse at him. Granted the boy didn't know who she was to Aro but it didn't stop him from practically breathing fire in his face.

Jane's reaction to Julie was just as Aro predicted; hostile. Infact she happened to pass by as the Secretary was taking her back to his rooms and she had attempted to use her gift upon her. Aro had noticed and although pleased that Julie's gift was apparent to being very much like Bella's, he was still irked at Jane for trying without his permission. She clearly hadn't gotten over Aro's fascination with Bella. Of course it wasn't his intention to make her feel in any way rejected, the twins were still his favourites within the guard.

Everyone and their mother who hadn't seen her already wanted to get a glimpse, however Aro wasn't going to grant such a request so early. Julie was still too susceptible so he really had to handle the situation with kid gloves from now on. Keeping Julie as a human was part of his plan, much to Caius' disgust who tried to question him every chance he got.

Because of her immunity to his and Jane's talents, it can be fairly assumed that Corin and Chelsea's gifts would be rendered useless against her. He couldn't force her loyalty to him nor could he make Julie content with staying. The only foot hold he had was Marcus' apparent detection of a bond that could a mating one and if so, he was going to take full advantage. It was hard to tell at such an early stage, especially with her being human and him a Vampire. Aro had to bond with the girl the old fashioned way.

Sulpicia had been a human when he pursued her. He had a particular kind of woman in mind that he wanted for his mate and found it in her. But even then it took much persuading and courting to get her to agree to spend eternity with him. When Marcus had seen Aro's chosen bride at the time, he shook his head and said, "She's not the one."

At least Julie had some sort of connection with him that made Marcus sit up, take notice and give his approval. Not that Aro needed his approval but it did help to know that there was something there he could harness and manipulate. He had to make her want to join his Coven willingly. He needed her gift. He needed...

He stopped himself short in his thoughts and refocused his attention back on the scene before him in the throne room. A Vampire had come to them like so many others before him and asked to join the Volturi but he had no talent that would benefit Aro. He pursed his lips together with slight irritation as he dismissed him, denying his request. Why couldn't Julie be that eager to join? Her indifference was offensive.

"Have you even asked her?" Marcus softly inquired of him, clearly knowing what was going through his Coven brother's mind. Aro shook his head.

"I don't need to. She answered such a question by expressing a desire to leave."

Caius turned his head quickly to him, his facial expression hardening, "You refused her, of course?"

"Obviously." Aro reassured him as he bent his head downwards slightly, resting his elbow upon the arm rest and pinching the bridge of his nose. Vampires couldn't get headaches but the situation was still enough to give him some sort of mental anguish. He had relied on Chelsea's talent for so long that having to go without seemed daunting to him, at the same time something told him it would be better that way. He would have earned the human's dedication to him instead of forcing it upon her.

It was around six in the evening when he finally retired back to his rooms. Julie had fallen asleep on his loveseat again and it dawned on Aro to supply her with a proper bed as soon as possible. Lying on that mustn't be doing her back any good. The living were very particular when it came to comfort.

She awoke at the sound of the door closing and sat up at once upon the sight of Aro. Her hair was slightly mussed from sleep to which she immediately tried to rectify by combing it as neatly as she could with her fingers. Well, she was making an effort to look presentable for him, that was a good sign. He then heard her tummy rumble and realised that Julie hadn't eaten all day. Damn it! He was liable to starve her to death before he even had a chance to offer her immortality.

He held out his hand for her to take and again she eyed it suspiciously as she had done with his shirt before taking hold. Although it was strange, it was also nice to touch someone without having to see every thought they ever had in their head. It also left some mystery and for the second time 'round, Aro had the meddlesome task of trying to figure someone out without cheating with his gift. It was both good and bad; good because it was reinforcing his assumption of her being a mental shield but bad because Julie had the advantage of being able to deceive to him if she wanted. Hopefully she never will feel the need if he played his cards right.  
"I'm going to take you to dinner."

The place that Aro had taken Julie to was a local Bistro that got rave reviews from locals and tourists alike. He being, a Vampire, didn't know much about the quality of food around Volterra so word of mouth really had to do. Tonight it wasn't all that crowded and they got a table as soon as Aro had asked for one. Once Julie had made her order to a Waiter that spoke in disjointed english, it was then she turned her attention back to Aro.

The candles that illuminated each table in the establishment gave off a warm, cosy atmosphere that made it all seem safe and welcoming. The Vampire male had disguised his deep, crimson eyes with blue contact lenses that made his gaze look too lavender to be normal. However low lights did wonders for him, Aro's deathly pale yet flawless skin glowed with a slight golden tinge that made him almost look normal to any outsider. Although for someone with a normally smooth and aristocratic air to him, tonight he had a hint of vulnerability to him that was endearing to Julie.

It was stark contrast to how he was towards her earlier. He had been frightening and when she was in the privacy of his rooms, she had burst into tears and cried for almost an hour. She couldn't explain it exactly but it was as if she was upset that she dared displease him.

Her predicament just made her want to die.

"When are you going to kill me?"

Aro had snapped his head around towards her just as he had settled his gaze upon the beige coloured table cloth beneath where he rested his hands. As usual the pretty Waitresses that bustled around them gave him interested looks. Normally he would play with these human females who gazed at him with desire in their dull, human eyes. He would flirt and woo them with little to no effort. All he had to do was smile at them and their panties practically fell to the ground. When he got them alone he would more or less devoid them of their blood. It was one of his favourite games to play but not tonight.

Instead he avoided eye contact with them all because he simply wasn't interested. He had been in deep contemplation himself. He thought about turning her but if she was this defiant with him as a human, she would be impossible as a Vampire. At least as a human she was physically weak and could be persuaded somehow to see his side of things. He could seduce her into wanting to serve him and the Volturi's purpose just as he had done with Chelsea.

"Why do you ask such a question, cara mia?" he replied, leaning towards her from across the table and his hands clasped together upon the tabletop. His voice perfectly conducted to produce such honeyed tones that brought about a sense of sensuality.

To anyone who knew Julie, she was a very closely guarded individual but even the sound of Aro's voice made whatever emotional defence she had up quiver from the onslaught. She blinked as if slapped across the face and it was her turn to stare down at the table cloth. She couldn't quite make up her mind whether the beige was more on the yellow or orange side.

"I know that a human cannot live if he or she knows about the existence of Vampires. So why am I still alive?"

"The law states that the human either has to be killed or turned. Hasn't it ever occurred to you that you may be become one of us instead?"  
Aro watched Julie closely for any signs of hope but detected indifference following his statement. Most humans would do anything to become a Vampire, to live in flawless beauty, unbelievable power and above ordinary life for eternity. However this human didn't appear to be as vain. She was clearly an odd duck.

"I hate my life. So why would I want to prolong it?" she answered, her voice dripping with disdain that clearly illustrated her words. It was now Aro's turn to blink needlessly in response.

"Why do you hate your life?" usually he wouldn't care one way or the other how humans felt about the mundane lives they lead. But somehow he wanted to know what made her feel this way. Something stirred within him, it felt uncomfortable and he knew the feeling would only be amplified depending upon her answer.

"It's... routine." she replied and the strange feeling within Aro was left in a stalemate, teeter tottering upon the edge. Waiting to be pushed over or to be pulled back to safety. Whatever it may be, he had the impression he would rather it be kept from being thrown over. "I get up, I go to work, I come home and I go to bed. It' all so ordinary and I don't want to be that way. It's an endless cycle of pointlessness that is liable to make me go insane. Even Einstein defined insanity by doing something over and over again and expecting different results." she looked up at Aro was who staring intently at her, taking in every word she said as if his immortal life depended on it.

"It'll be different if you allow yourself to become like us. You'll be extraordinary-"

"Have you ever seen that television show, Doctor Who?" she countered staring back at him just as intensely. Aro knew she was going somewhere with this but the question still seemed irrelevant to their topic of conversation. "There are two versions of that show. The classic and the modern. I prefer the classic. - "

_Of course you do,_ Aro thought smiling inwardly at she continued.

"- My favourite episode was entitled 'the Five Doctors' and there is a line of dialogue in that episode that describes precisly how I feel about becoming a Vampire..." she trailed off before leaning back in her seat. Her arm was stretched with her hand resting upon the table top, her fingers drumming a irregular beat.

_"Immortality is a curse. Not a blessing."_

And there it was, whatever it was that had been on the edge was pushed over into the dark depths of unforgiving oblivion. It took Aro a fraction of a second to realise that it was his last shread of denial of his situation. The evidence presented proved she would be difficult to turn and yet he still was arrogant enough to think he could make her bend to his will like so many before her. She was a fortress of strength, unyielding to his cries.

But fortresses can still be knocked down.

He wasn't going to give up though, he had to sway her in his favour one way or the other. Merely tempting her with the prestige and immortality that came with being a Vampire wasn't going to be enough. She wasn't shallow and petty like that and despite this unfortunate turn of events, she still intrigued him. Yes, he would have to work harder but he did like a challenge, the satisfaction was sweeter.  
"I'm not going to kill you." he said with a little smirk that would set hearts a flutter.

"Then will you let me go home?"

"Why? Do you have a sweetheart waiting for you?" A spark of what felt like to be jealousy at the thought of Julie being inlove with another man suddenly erupted within him. His feelings then quickly manifested to absolute and irrational hatred for this man who may or may not exist. However to his relief, that was just as inexplicable as his bout of jealousy and hate, Julie shook her head.

"No, I'm single. I can't get a man even if it was raining men!" an amused smile tugged at the corners of her mouth at her own joke. Aro's smirk disappeared which was then replaced with a look of utter confusion. He looked her up and down once more and mentally scratched his head in wonder.

Julie was rather pretty for a human. Granted she was no flawless beauty of a Vampiress but she was attractive. Even the Waiter that had served her had a look of admiration before walking off into the kitchen to prepare her dinner order. He wasn't sure if the term was still used in these modern times but he classified her as a beauty of the oriental kind.

Julie mistook his silence for not understanding what she just said. "You never heard of that song? 'It's raining men! Hallelujah-' No? Nothing?" she prompted him a blush beginning to creep up onto her cheeks. Her poor attempt at singing the title lyrics made famous by the Weather Girls immediately regretted. "And I thought I lead a sheltered life."

"No, it's not that." Aro quickly corrected, "I just feel that you must be misleading me. No man in his right mind would leave you on the shelf." Flattery, females couldn't resist it. Although he offered her a smile of the genuine kind. A very rare occurrence. He usually smiled out of politeness or malice. But it was because he meant what he said and purred contently yet silently at the idea that she was unclaimed.  
Julie stared at him for a moment or two in deep calculation. Trying to detect any hint of sarcasm but found none. She was very wary of the opposite sex due to experience. The bullies that tormented her were mostly male and so found it hard to trust them, Let alone accept any compliment. She was just so used to being insulted.

"I bet you say that to all the girls." she said finally, the corners of her mouth twitching but denied herself the chance to smile. Aro noticed this and cocked his head to the side defensively.

"Well, alright. I'll grant you that but this time, I mean it." they were interrupted by a Waitress coming back with Julie's order on hand, setting a steaming plate of freshly cooked pasta down before her. The Waitress glanced over at Aro and her face glazed over with desire in such a way that instead of taking advantage of it like usual, it made him turn away. He fixed his gaze determinedly upon Julie, ignoring the Waitress even when she asked him if he wanted anything.

Once the girl had given up and disappeared, it was then is human companion spoke, "My Dad is at home alone. He is old and relies on me to take care of him. I give him his medication, I prepare his meals and I take care of all the bills. I make it so he never has to worry about anything because he shouldn't at his time of life." she prodded the food on her plate absentmindedly with her fork. "While growing up, I witnessed my mother bleed him dry of his money. She would go out with her friends and spend it all on herself leaving him behind to worry over how he was going to provide for us. He's retired and was living on his savings. They had a joint account that he trusted her with and she took it all for herself. Of course she got him into debt with her insane spending and they had to mortgage the house to deal with it. After she died the damage was needless to say already done and now his entire pension goes into paying it off. It's not enough to cover the repayment and I have to make up the short fall each time as well as handle the rest of the finances." her eyes started to blur with tears from the pressure of thinking of it and unloading this all onto Aro who listened stoney faced. "It's... hard." her hands began to shake and she dropped her fork, it clanged loudly upon the side of her plate, making a few of the diners turn around to stare at her. Feeling the weight of the attention she was getting only made it worse, she hated being looked at in such a judgmental fashion. She was suddenly taken back to her torturous days at school where the bullies would point and laugh at her for what seemed to be merely existing.

Her story made Aro angry and he expressed this anger by emitting a soft growl that everyone but Julie couldn't hear. It made her jump slightly in her seat in shock at such a noise coming from someone that appeared as civilised as him. He sounded just like a animal, perhaps some sort of Bear or Lion.

"Aro?" she gently prodded, not quite sure what to do. Should she attempt to make a run for it or stay? In any case she didn't like seeing him angry if what she witnessed today was anything to go by. Honestly she was petrified that he would scream at her again. Or maybe put his hands on her. Why did she have to open her big mouth? Why was she stupid enough to let her guard down and pour out her heart to him?  
"It's too bad that your mother is dead," he began, biting off each word out as if they personally offended him, "I would have liked to have made her pay."

Julie remained tense, relieved that his anger wasn't directed at her but still on edge at how scary he looked to her at that moment. His whole posture was rigid, his facial expression haunty and his movements stiff and mechanical. She shrunk back into her seat, her brows pinched together in worry.

When his bout of anger at the woman who gave this poor, unfortunate girl life finally subsided, he saw how withdrawn she had become again and he mentally cursed himself. Why did she have to fear him so? He would never hurt her. He would surrender himself to the Romanians rather than cause pain in any shape or form to the little female sitting across from him.

"What if I arranged to move him here? Would that make you happy, coniglietto?" he proposed, hoping that this would ease her obviously troubled mind.

Julie visibly perked up at the suggestion. She was sitting alittle straighter in her chair her face began to light up with her own expression of hope, "You would do that for me? But what about the mortgage-"

Aro's lip curled, clearly enjoying the fact that he had an advantage. She would owe him if she accepted and he was going to milk it for all it was worth. "Julianne, mia bella, I can take care of it all. I can make all your worries and troubles disappear." his eyes widened, focusing on his prey before him. Purposely dangling the solution to her plight before her like a carrot infront of a starving horse. "All you have to do is say 'yes' to me. Just one word and it's all over."

"All of it?" she said, gravitating towards him deliciously. He was so close he could taste it.

"Yes." he whispered seductively, dragging out the sound of the 's'. He had the upper hand again and damn did it feel good. "I can take care of it all. No more will you have to live in uncertainty. I can undo the damage. Erase the mistakes. Change your life. Change your world. You don't have to live without anymore. Everything you ever wanted will be yours.

"Just say 'yes' to me."

Julie bit her lower lip, he could see the want in her eyes. He got her thinking of it and it gave him another wave of europhoria to know that she was practically handing him weapons to control her with. Control. That word was like candy to him. Power. That word was an aphrodisiac to his senses. Julie was going to be all his if she just said...

"No."

Aro hissed in surprise. This wasn't supposed to happen! She was supposed to say, 'yes'!

"The word is 'yes'. Say 'yes'." he pressed her, fumbling to gain back the advantage over her. Julie shook her head, pulling away from him. No! "You can trust me. I could do so much for you, cara mia-"

"I'm not my mother." her expression darkened at the thought she could ever be anything like her.

"What's this got to do with-?!"

"My mother was a gold digger. She relied on everyone else to take care of her problems so she never had to worry. She lived carefree at the expense of others. Like some kept woman." her voice darkened as much as her expression had before adding, "So determined I was to never become like her, I insisted on earning my keep. I dropped out of school not just because of the bullies - although they did play a big part - I dropped out because I couldn't go to school and work a full time job to support us. I gave up my education because I could not stand to see my Dad suffer for my mother's selfishness and greed. I don't like having things just handed to me because it's only a step away from being like her. I had a job, I earned money and I was finally fixing the damage she caused and you destroyed it! You killed Curtis and took me away from my home! And for what? What is it that you want from me?! Why are you doing this time me?!

"And now you have the gall to use my father against me. How dare you-"

"Julianne-"

"My name is 'Julie'!"

"Amata-"

"I'm going." and at that Julie stormed out of the restaurant, everyone in the establishment staring after her in shock at such a public display of anger.

Aro was left in stunned silence. No one had ever spoken to him like that before and if it were any other person, he would have snapped their neck for daring to talk to. However before he could shout after her, that hot searing pain returned and it was more crippling than the last time. He knocked over the table and fell down onto his knees, clutching his chest in agony.

She was right, it was all his fault. He did want to control her but unlike her dim counterparts, she saw right through him and called him out on it. He had no power over her, she had all the power and it made him sick. She could destroy him but he could never destroy her. It was a double standard if he ever saw one but only this time, he was the one that got the short end of the stick.

The pain subsided to a just bearable ache and when the Waitress that had served Julie came to his aid. He shouted something at her in Italian and threw a wad of cash at her before getting up and stumbling out the door to find Julie.

He sniffed the air, her scent lingered in the night and he followed it like a emotionless Zombie. The closer to the source he got, the less pain he felt and it wasn't long before he found Julie sitting on the ledge of the fountain in the middle of the square. She was hunched forward, her head bowed and her entire frame shaking from her sobbing.

Aro hurried over to her and kneeled down before the crying girl. He noticed that her hand was on her chest too. Could she have felt the same pain that he had?

"Julianne, I'm-"

"I'm sorry..." she choked out through her tears, her long dark hair hung around her head like a curtain, concealing her distressed face. "You were only trying to help-"

"Cara mia, you were right to get angry..."

"At least you were trying to make up for-"

"You are nothing like your mother. I can see that." Aro quickly assured her reaching up to gently brush some of her hair out of her face. "You wouldn't have gotten angry at me for offering you help if you were."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..."

"Shh, don't cry. Piacere, coniglietto."

Julie hiccuped slightly, her sobs beginning to die down as she lifted her head up and looked down at Aro before her. Her face was flushed red, slightly puffy and tear streaked from crying but to him she still looked as pretty as always. If she still managed to look this good when crying, then she wouldn't need to be a Vampire for she already looked perfect to him.

"Why do you keep calling me that? Con-something or rather..." she croaked, hiccuping slightly again making him smile. Gods, she was cute when she did that.

"Coniglietto. It means 'bunny' because you are small and cute... like a _little bunny_."

She gave a small, watery giggle and Aro began to laugh with her. He actually made her laugh! Yes, he was no stranger to making girls light just by being with them but somehow it meant alot more coming from her. It felt good to make her feel better. Seeing her cry broke his dead heart.

"If I am _little bunny_, what does that make you?"

"What do you think?"

"Italian Stallion?"

Aro laughed again, it was deep yet musical and caressed Julie's ears like a feather. "I'm originally from Greece. But I'll settle for _Italian Stallion_."

Julie laughed again, the sound of it was so foreign to her. She never acted like this for anyone before. Aro's Vampiric charms were probably having more of an effect on her than she cared to think. He made her feel like a silly little school girl with a crush on her teacher. How cliche!

"I think I've got a bad case of Stockholm syndrome..." she muttered incredulously, placing her hand upon her forehead cautiously feeling for a temperature although she was still smiling. The whole situation was ridiculous. Here she was, flirting with a Vampire who drank human blood, killed her Boss, took her away from her father and was keeping her in a strange country against her will.

And she was carrying on like a selfish imbecile!

"May I at least call my Dad?" she asked him when their laughing finally died down. She was suddenly serious again and from the tone of her voice, she was getting desperate. She had to know if he was alright. "Please?"

"Cara mia-" Aro began, going to deny her again but she grabbed his shoulders to stop him from putting it into words. They were so close to each other that he could see every stray tiny tear drop that clung to her long, dark lashes. She had the perfect doe eyes that tugged his heart strings.

_Please don't cry again._

"Please?" she repeated, her voice softer this time. "I miss him, Aro."

Caius stood scowling as he observed the scene below him from the balcony that lead into the throne room. Marcus lingered in the shadows behind him, staring off into nothingness. His attention a million miles away.

"Brought down by a little girl." he snorted in disgust, shaking his head, "And not just a little girl. A human! That is embarrassing."


	6. Chapter 6

"Hey, her bag is still here."

Julie bent over the office style seat at the reception area and picked up a beige, ladies shoulder bag to illustrate her point to Aro. He regarded the accessory with a sort of bored look in his eyes and didn't answer her. Secretaries to the Volturi were regularly disposed of and Cindy was no exception. Any excuse will do and sometimes no excuse was even needed. Aro had been very agitated earlier and he took his rage out on the blonde human. Better her than Julie.

They had re-entered the Castle to use the phone at Cindy's desk. Aro had caved in to Julie's tearful pleas to check up on her elderly father who was really the only family she had left. The little female will have to learn to deal without her human life and family soon but he couldn't deny her this. Her crying was getting too painful to watch.

"Does she make a habit of leaving without her things?" Julie looked up at Aro who rose a brow and comprehension finally dawned upon her doe like feature. She lowered her head at the realization and slowly placed the bag back down on the ground where she found it. That poor woman. "Erm... do you have internet access here? I just want to look up how to dial out of Italy."

Relieved at the change of subject, Aro came around to crouch down behind where Julie sat. "I don't pay much attention to such things. I stopped the moment they introduced television." He watched Julie's fingers fly expertly over the keyboard of the computer that was present at the desk. Being born into a tech savvy generation coupled with a profession that required frequent use of a computer, Julie was very competent with the machine and looked very impressive him. She wasn't even looking down at the keyboard, she was touch typing, her eyes firmly locked on the screen as she googled the information she needed.

"Ah! There we go!" she murmured before picking up the phone and proceeding the dial the numbers she needed to contact home. The phone rang a couple of times on the other end but no one answered. Being that her father was at an advanced age, she was used to him not picking up the first time so she dialed again.

Aro remained crouched down beside Julie, watching her intently as she patiently waited for the phone to be answered. After a couple of rings, there was finally an answer but it didn't sound like her father.

"Hello?" came a young girl's voice from the other end. Julie had to take a moment or two to recompose herself before replying. Her voice wavering slightly.

"Hello. May I ask who I'm speaking to?"

"My name is Julie."

Julie's breathing hitched and she exchanged confused looks with Aro who clearly heard every word of the exchange thanks to his Vampire hearing. Perhaps she had gotten the wrong number and the person answering just happened to have the same name as her? 'Julie' wasn't exactly a unusual name.

"Hello, Julie." Julie began trying to keep her voice calm and collected, "May I speak to Mr Martin Lawson, please?"

"You mean my Dad?" the fake Julie replied, she could hear the sly smile in her voice as she went to fetch her 'father'. Meanwhile the real Julie's body stiffened, her jaw locking in anger at the liar on the other end. Who the hell did she think she was posing as her? Surely her father would know the difference! This poser can't look that much like her, could she?

Aro placed a reassuring hand upon the small human's arm. This unexpected turn of events admittedly fascinated him and he was impressed how cool and composed Julie was trying to be. Whoever this imposter was wanted something and hopefully they could get it out of her before any harm could come to Martin.

"Hello?" came a man's voice on the other end who Julie recognised immediately to be her father's. Her body visibly relaxed upon hearing his warm, somewhat raspy yet fatherly tone.

"Now listen to me very carefully because this is very important." Julie said very clearly and very slowly. "That girl in your home right now is NOT your daughter. I repeat, she is NOT your daughter. She is not who she says she is."

At first there was only silence on the other end and Julie's heart began to pound in her ears. Panic beginning to rise, "I don't think I-"

"I'm Julie! I'm your daughter!" she couldn't hold back anymore, her voice cracking under the pressure. Aro took the phone from Julie's shaking hand and held it up this his ear.

"She is telling the truth. That person in your home is a imposter, Mr Lawson and I advise you to not let on that you know this. For your own safety, make this person continue to believe that you are fooled by their charade-" Aro was cut off as the line went dead. He lowered the phone away from his ear and looked gravely down at Julie who looked as though she was on the edge of a heart attack. Her hands were clutching the arm rests so tightly that her knuckles were turning white and her face was rigid with distress.

"What happened?! What's going on?!"

"I'm sorry, Julie." Aro put the receiver down and looked at the girl hopelessly. "Your father is in trouble and I don't think he's going to-"

"Don't say that!" Julie shouted, suddenly on her feet and staring up at Aro with determination, "We'll just have to go back to Australia. We can save him!"

"I'm sorry but even if we did go we would be far too late. This person could have already-"

"SHUT UP!" She screamed, covering her ears and shaking her head. Her entire being was quivering from head to toe. She couldn't let her Dad die at the hands of some complete nut job! It's inhumane, it's cruel. She knew her father's memory was patchy but she couldn't believe that he would even forget who his true daughter was. "We have to go! We have to leave now!"

"You're not going anywhere." Caius had suddenly appeared at the scene, regarding the girl with unmistakeable annoyance. "I'm sorry to hear that you suffered a loss but it's about time you grew up and stopped acting like a child. You are going to have to live without your Daddy one of these days-"

"Well I prefer it that it not be today!" she retorted angrily, rounding on the blonde male, "My Dad doesn't deserve this!"

"Aro, say something." Caius rolled his eyes at her and looked over at the raven haired Vampire expectantly. Aro himself looked torn and again he didn't quite have the faintest idea why. He hardly knew this girl other than the thoughts of her that Kurt had had in his mind. They mostly consisted of his awe of her looking exactly like his dead daughter he lost long ago.

Well, actually he knew that Julie had old fashioned tastes but didn't like to wear skirts or dresses. She was a fan of something called _Doctor Who_ but favoured the classic version over the modern. She didn't want to become a Vampire because she viewed immortality as a curse yet she acted as though she never wanted her father to die. She was conservative and meek on the surface but had a fire within her that fueled her need to be independent and never rely on others. She was an enigma, a mystery, a puzzle that Aro couldn't help but want to solve. He didn't exactly want to put her in a cage but he had the desire to tame her so she would be enthralled by him as he was with her.

"Aro, please..." Julie took hold of the lapels of the black coat he wore and stared up at him imploringly. "Please."

"Aro." Caius prompted impatiently, folding his arms coldly, "She's a liability. She cannot be allowed to leave the Castle."

Aro's eyes shifted from his Coven brother to shaking girl before him. She was close to him again, the scent of her had been intensified due to her stress levels making her blood pump faster in her veins. Her breathing came in short, little gasps that rushed past her parted, full lipped mouth which continued to form her pleas.

Meanwhile Julie knew she was probably fighting a losing battle but it appeared that way only moments before at the fountain where she begged Aro to let her call her father. He looked every bit like he was going to deny her request but instead granted it. Why? She wasn't quite sure but she had been so grateful that she had hugged him to thank him. Admittedly he felt good in her arms. She noticed that he also smelled good too. Like lavender and vanilla essence with a touch of freshly cut apple. She remembered that Curtis also smelled rather nice too but she couldn't identify it to any male deodorant that ever existed. Nope, there was no Lynx effect detected on either male and foolishly wondered if it was a Vampire thing.

"Julianne-"

"Please. I'll do anything!" the moment the words left her mouth, she knew she said something wrong but at the time she didn't care. Her father was in danger and she needed to help him now.

Aro's facial expression twitched, he loved hearing those words pass the lips of anyone who spoke them to him. It was sheer ecstasy to his ears. Especially from Julie who had been so defiant not so long ago, he compared her to a fortress and rightly thought that despite all that, she can be knocked down. She got angry with him when he tried to harness her love for her father against her but now it was all on her. She was vulnerable and he was not going to waste this chance to go in for the kill.

"Anything?" he said to her in a gentle, seductive voice that would have normally set off alarm bells in her head. Instead she nodded desperately, reaching for the proverbial carrot he had dangled before her back at the restaurant.

"Please, Aro... please... please..."

Soon Julie and Aro were back on the Private Jet on their way back to Australia along with a select few of the Volturi guard. She fidgeted impatiently within her seat until the aircraft was in the air in which case she got up and started pacing. A complete contrast to how she was the first time she was onboard. In her Zombie-like state, she didn't get a chance to soak in her surroundings. Her mind just kept playing the horrific scene she had witnessed when she had first met the Volturi and was taken away. She could feel the heat of the flames as she was dragged away and hear the cries from her work colleagues who were locked inside with no way to escape. Sometimes she thought she would go insane from all the pain and torment and right now she appeared to be rather close to the edge of her sanity. It was like being stuck in a real life horror movie.

Aro remained seated and observed her with much intrigue as she moved about the plane. Her face was twisted in anguish and she was so tense that her pacing looked almost robotic. She had put on a white, loose cardigan with sleeves that were clearly too long for her arms and ended up covering more than half of her hands. The hem of the garment ended at just below her posterior and for a brief moment, the ancient Vampire felt like ripping it off her body because it was denying him a view of her petite form.

So immersed she was in her own thoughts, she walked right into Jane who was making her way towards the cockpit. Julie was winded, falling backwards and landing in Aro's outstretched arms from were he sat. The blonde Vampiress glared at her as the female human choked out her apology and was ushered to sit down next to Aro.

"Pacing is not going to help your situation, _coniglietto_." he advised her reaching out to pat her thigh. Julie looked up at him and sighed, she wanted to argue but damn it, he was right. She couldn't help her father by pacing... infact she was powerless to help until they got into contact with him. "It's going to take as long as it takes to reach your homeland so in the meantime, why don't we talk?"

Julie took in a deep breath, trying to calm down her frayed nerves, "I think that's a very good idea."

"Grazie, cara mia."

"How old are you?"

Aro quirked a brow at her, leaning back in his seat, "How old do I look?"

Julie pursed her lips together lightly, her dark eyes taking in his entire form calculatingly before shrugging her shoulders, "You, like Curtis, look like to be in the late thirties region but he told me he was closer to 900 years old so-"

"You do realise that 'Curtis' isn't his real name?" Aro interrupted, clearly not liking being compared to someone he saw as a common criminal. He broke the law in the eyes of the Volturi and therefore had no respect for his memory. He found that he was jealous that Julie held him at such high esteem that she would continue to mention Kurt like a mantra.

"So? He was my friend who also happened to be a Vampire. I suppose he had to change his name to maintain his secret."

"Changing his name because he was a Vampire was not the reason why. I daresay he did it as a psychological way to escape his past." Aro went on, his lip curling at what he was about to divulge to Julie. He relished the thought of shattering her idyllic view of the man who had used her as a surrogate daughter. "His real name is Kurt. K-U-R-T. He came from Austria and was part of a Barbaric clan who had a reputation for pillaging just for the fun of it. As a human he demonstrated a talent for strategy which was why no one was able to bring down his clan until the rape and murder of his daughter. Her name was Sera. The reason why he was so protective and so nice to you was because you look exactly like her. His fascination with your doppelganger status was borderline obsession and he would often follow you home after work."

It was now Julie's turn to raise an eyebrow, she clearly didn't believe him, "And how do you know all this about Kurt?"

"I have a gift that enables me to read every thought and memory a person has ever had with one touch." he replied, the hand that had patted her thigh now came to hold her hand to demonstrate. "However I can't read your thoughts. Your mind is blocked off to me."

"How convenient." Julie replied looking at their interlocked hands. His skin was so cold and stone-like and yet it didn't faze her. It felt comfortable and even nice to have her hand held by him, he felt smooth and flawless like marble. "So how do you expect me to believe a word you say without proving it by telling me what I'm thinking about now?"

Aro continued to hold her hand in his own, he could feel her warmth against his skin. She was like a plastic bag full of water, so fragile and easily punctured if he curled his finger tips in and scratched her with his nails. He could feel and hear fresh blood rushing through her veins. He also sensed how relaxed and content she was with his touch, "That afternoon after Kurt rescued you from that nomad, he drove you home and escorted you personally to your front door. Before he allowed you to go inside, he held your hand and once again reassured you that he would protect you with his life. He also said something to you in german just before bidding you goodnight." Aro watched Julie's face carefully and didn't miss the look of comprehension and awe on her face, "He said, '_ich liebe dich mein kleines Mädchen_'. That means, '_I love you, my little girl_'." he saw her mouth fall open and her lower lip quivering before he continued, "But my dear Julianne. You must understand this. As touching as what he said was, it wasn't meant for you. Whenever Kurt looks at you, he only sees the child he lost. If you didn't look like her, I doubt he would have given you a second glance let alone that job as receptionist for his company. I note from his thoughts that when he interviewed you, he wasn't that impressed with your Resumé. Dropping out of High School doesn't look good to any employer but he hired you anyway because of who you looked like."

Julie's face fell and at that moment, Aro had succeeded in his vendetta to dethrone Kurt as her Knight in shining armour. Again, as much as she hated to admit it to herself, he was right. Even she noticed that whenever they interacted, Kurt never seemed to be really looking at her. He always had this faraway expression on his face when they talked and always thought he was coming on a bit strong for someone that she had only known for six months.

"I see." she said in a small voice and it was all she could say at that time. It was never nice to find out that someone who seemed so nice never really gave a damn. It was like having a huge bucket of ice water dumped all over you and it left you paralyzed with grief. "So, what am I to you? Why do you want me alive?"

Aro brought her hand up towards his face, holding her with both of his hands like a prize. "You're special, my dear. You can block the mental powers of Vampires even as a human. _You're gift will make for an intriguing immortal, Julianne..._" a sense of deja vu hit him like a tidal wave. He had said the same thing to another only a while back and it only made him feel like he was being compared to Kurt once more, only he was doing it himself. He was instantly disgusted with himself and immediately withdrew, turning away from Julie who was left with her hand in mid-air where he left it.


	7. Chapter 7

During the final hours of their flight, Julie had fallen asleep in her seat next to Aro. Her head had come to rest on his shoulder and he remained still beside her so not to wake her with his movements. She didn't look very comfortable and knew she would wake up with a stiff neck and a very sore back. Renata, one of the select few of the guard he chose to come along had helpfully offered her cloak to the human as a makeshift blanket. Jane sat across from Aro, next to her brother who kept her from a tantrum that she clearly wanted to throw. Witnessing the close proximity between her Master and his 'pet' was clearing getting up her goat.

The last straw came when Julie murmured a soft cry of discomfort in her sleep and Aro gently repositioned the girl to lie her head more comfortably on his lap, the rest of her body curled up on her seat. Jane's jaw locked and the blonde stood up, stamping her foot making everyone jump in shock around her. Alec immediately came to his sister's aid, grabbing hold of her arms to restrain her just incase she decided to get physical. Julie twitched awake but her eyes remained closed, too heavy from exhaustion to open up so settled for listening to what was going on.

"Master, she is only a human! Why do you treat her like she is above you?" she spat, jealous rage blazing within her crimson eyes. Aro used to shower her and her brother with praise and attention before Bella and Julie came into the picture. Nowadays she was lucky to even get a second glance. She pointed an accusing finger down at the dark haired young girl who in turn flinched at her words. Aro's hand came to rest upon Julie's shoulder while his other came up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Oh Gods. This is all I need right now." he muttered sarcastically to himself. Admittedly he wasn't thrilled to be on this flight but it was alot better than remaining in Italy without Julie within the safety of the Castle with him. Yes, he could have refused her pleas this time around but it just hurt too much to see her as upset as she was when she found out that her father was not safe. There was a stranger in his home who was clearly taking advantage of his poor memory and advanced age. Julie had every right to be consumed with worry. Also it was no picnic to find that he was relying more and more on her presence than he would like to admit to. She was like a security blanket or a life line for him. He simply couldn't be without her.

Marcus' assumption about Julie being Aro's true mate floated to the surface of the whirl pool of thoughts but he didn't have time to dwell on it. Jane was beginning to growl and it thrust him back into reality. He regarded the little Vampire with a weary look, "Dearest one, Julianne is now apart of this Coven-"

"So I don't matter anymore?" if Jane could cry, she would have. Being a Vampire unfortunately had taken away that ability and instead she had to settle with a look of agony upon her angelic features. Aro tilted his head to the side and shook his head in response, taking his hand away from his face and placing it upon the arm rest of his seat.

"Of course you matter. Please understand you are not being replaced by anyone. You, my dear Jane are irreplaceable. No one is going to take your place and no one ever will. You are still treasured, little one." he held out his hand for her to take and as soon as Alec felt it was safe enough to let his sibling go, Jane rushed to take her Master's hand. She mewed happily and fell to her knees before him, raising it so his hand caressed her cheek.

"Oh Master, you're wonderful!" she gasped softly, evidently forgiving him for his neglect of attention. Her eyes seemed to sparkle in adoration as she gazed upon him, "So she means nothing to you?"

Aro stiffened, politely taking back his hand to Jane's dismay and looked down at Julie in his lap. The girl continued to pretend to sleep, although her eyes were shut, any tiredness she had before had quickly evaporated and she was now alert. She had known Aro for a much shorter period of time than she had known Kurt alias Curtis Johnstone and half expected him to indulge Jane. However, she couldn't help but feel that a part of her hoped that he did care about her. She was sick of being the one made to feel she was a waste of space, that she was nothing more than someone others would make fun of. To be the one placed upon this Earth for someone else's cruel entertainment.

"Julianne," he began, sounding out her name with more emotion than anyone she had known, "is _mine_."

Julie twitched in a way that could be mistaken for meaningless movement in one's sleep, but in actuality it was because of the way that Aro said what he said. It was so dark and possessive, even a tad feral. His tone of voice lowered an octave and she noticed that his grip on her shoulder had tightened slightly. Only one other person had held her that tightly and he only did so because he didn't see her, he only saw what he wanted to see. At least this time around, Aro truly was referring to her. It made her quiver against him, another movement that could easily be mistaken for being cold.

She felt Renata's cloak being adjusted so it was wrapped alittle more snugly around her small body. The comforting warmth was enough to lull her back to sleep but she was curious to hear how Jane would react to Aro's words. In truth, Julie had nothing against Jane. Infact she thought she was lovely. It hurt that Jane didn't seem to like her at all and she didn't even do anything to offend her other then just being in Aro's presence.

"May I ask if she to become one of us, Master?" it was Alec's voice that came into play. His sister had obviously been too shocked by this revelation to respond at the time. Julie couldn't blame her, she didn't know how to react other then feel a warm sensation developing within her chest.

Meanwhile Aro hated to see that hurt look return to Jane's face but it had to be said. Declaring Julie as his was the only way to put his guard back into line without launching into a petty argument. That would have done more harm than good but judging from Jane's reaction, she looked as though Christmas had just been cancelled.

Aro didn't respond to Alec's question. He didn't know how to without revealing more than he already had. Plus he knew Julie's feelings on the subject and he didn't want to disrespect her by openly vocalising his desire for her to become one. He had a lot of convincing to do and until then, he had to keep his mouth shut.

It was very early in the morning by the time their Private Jet landed at Sydney International Airport. Julie had been woken up and stuck closely by Aro's side as he and his guard escorted her through the terminal towards baggage claim. But to get through that section, they had to present their passports and unfortunately for Julie, she didn't have hers. Infact she had been so out of when they had taken her away to Italy, she couldn't remember how she got through without it then.

But it seemed as though Aro already knew what to do. He took Julie aside and signaled for another one of his guard to come forth. "Afton." he nodded to him and the guard named Afton bowed respectfully in response. Aro then positioned Julie directly behind Afton and instructed her to make like his shadow and stay very close to him.

Afton moved towards the line of smartly dressed Airport security guards that were checking each passenger's passports upon arrival. Julie in the meantime matched her foot steps with his as precisely as she could. She didn't know how hiding behind him would solve her little predicament. There were at least 5 of them about and surely one of them was going to notice what they were trying to do.

However Afton maneuvered so he walked directly in between two officers who were looking around for the next person to check their credentials. Neither of them said 'Boo' and Julie's heart finally began to resume it's regular beat despite her confusion. How in the world did they manage to slip by without being noticed?

Afton halted just after the section where customs checked the contents of people's luggage and held onto Julie's shoulder as they waited for Aro and the others to be cleared. As he was being patted down by a female Airport employee, Aro winked at her and she almost lost her footing. Upon seeing this, a silly grin spread across Julie's lips, the sight of it looked almost comical. When Aro approached them, looking rather proud of himself, Julie snorted at him and shook her head.

"What? I was being friendly!"

"Friendly?! You almost gave that woman a heart attack."

"It wasn't that bad, was it?"

"In words of Britney Spears, 'A guy like you should wear a warning'."

"Who?"

"You know, '_With a taste of your lips I'm on a ride. You're Toxic-_' No? Again? Nothing?" Julie rolled her eyes although she was still grinning at him. "Boy oh boy... you are one of a kind, aren't you?"

"Do you object to my flirting with other females?" in Aro's defense, he wasn't really flirting per se. It was more he was making fun of their pathetic excuse for security measures. If he wanted to, he could have waltzed through the Airport carrying a Bazooka gun and no one would be able to stop him. Besides, the thought of Julie being any measure of jealous appealed to him. It meant that she was attracted to him in some shape or form and it made Aro purr against her when she was returned to his side.

This time Julie both heard and felt the purr emitting from the male Vampire beside her and a blush began to creep up upon her cheeks. Even more so when she was made to lean against him when to make way for a passing buggy carrying the more elderly passengers.

"You never answered my question." Aro prompted as they sat in the Limousine that was on it's way to the small town of Norwood. It was about 2 and a half hours away so they had plenty of time to talk.

Julie was sandwiched in between Aro and Renata who looked amused at his teasing of the human female. Afton, Jane and Alec sat opposite to them, Jane looking sullen and staring at the floor while Alec and Afton pretended to be distracted by the scenery outside. Julie pouted playfully and looked to Renata who nudged her arm good naturedly.

"What question?" Playing dumb. Very wise move. Not.

"Do you not like seeing me flirt without other women?"

"Well, it is your life. You are a single man-"

"I'm actually a Widower." Aro corrected, smiling at Julie who looked up at him in shock at this new piece of information.

"You were married?" Of course he was. Why wouldn't he have been? He was a handsome, sophisticated, charming Vampire who had an obscene amount of sex appeal and practically had women throwing themselves at his feet. As they were walking about the Airport, Julie had noticed that he had gotten alot of interested looks from girls that they passed. Some stopped to stare, one even had the balls to take a picture of him. Also she wasn't oblivious to the attention he got on their 'date' back in Italy. That female Waitress looked as though she was going to beg him to let her have his Vampire baby.

"Yes. Her name was Sulpicia." Aro replied with a nod, "She passed away months before I met you."

"I'm sorry."

Aro shrugged in response, his smile fading slightly but then returned seconds later with full gusto. "So?"

"So, what?"

"Do you object to my flirting with other women? Not that I was flirting anyway."

"Then what do you call it?"

A collective 'Oooh!' came from the other occupants in the Limo except for the human Driver who couldn't hear a thing from the other side of the privacy glass. Julie and Aro were both vaguely aware how ridiculous their discussion was and even more so to be held infront of his guards. Even Jane had lifted her head to give this interaction between the two her full, undivided attention.

"I'm sensing you are bothered." he was so smug now that it practically radiated off him like a foul smell. Julie bit her lower lip, looking away from him and folding her arms defensively.

"Well, you're not my husband. You're not even my boyfriend so why should I care who you fancy? It's none of my business if you want to prance about like some sort of Fabio wannabe."

"What?"

"Not even Fabio?!" Julie snapped her head around so fast that her head swam. She swayed alittle in her seat prompting both Renata and Aro to take hold of her arms to steady her. "Surely you must know who Fabio is! He's an Italian male model who has been featured on countless, cheesy romance novels-"

"I know who Fabio is." Aro retorted indignantly, raising his voice slightly. He didn't like being compared to some over exagerrated romantic hero who looked like he put on too much fake tan and bleached his hair. To the Volturi King, Fabio was the male version of some blonde bimbo who was like a door knob; everyone gets a turn off of him! "He is an insult to the whole male sex."

"Alright then."

"Alright."

A few minutes of awkward silence went by with everyone who wasn't Julie or Aro exchanging uncomfortable looks, save Jane who's turn it was to look smug. Everytime it looked like they were going to get along, something goes wrong and it was frustrating for both of them. It was also a bother for those who witnessed their interaction. Renata cleared her throat and looked over at Julie.

"Have you ever had a boyfriend before, Julie?" she asked kindly and sounding genuinely interested. Julie could feel Aro stiffen next to her, also interested to know but at the same time, not wanting to know. Again the thought of her having been with someone else made him want to crash the Limo.

Julie shook her head, "No. No one in their right mind would want to be with me."

"Are you suggesting that my Master is crazy?" it was Jane that spoke this time and everyone twitched at her words. Yup, they were smack bang in Awkwardville.

Julie was shocked to hear Jane even imply that Aro would feel that way about her. It was impossible and it made her feel like she was being up herself to even think it was a possibility. Aro was more suited to someone who was the model type; tall, blonde, leggy. Definitely not small, dark haired and ordinary like her.

"That doesn't even make sense."

"Oh, so my Master isn't good enough for you. Is that it?"

"No!" she argued, shaking her head a bit too feverishly, "I mean, look at him! Anyone with half a mind could see he's actually too good for me!"

The loudest silence that Julie had ever heard in her entire life followed her outburst and she went from outspoken to non-speaker in 0.5 seconds flat. She shrunk back in her seat and raised her hand up to cover her mouth. Yes, she had talked enough for the day. Infact she has said enough to cover her for her entire life time. She didn't want to talk ever again.

Meanwhile Aro looked as though his birthday had come early. He was grinning happily to himself, completely content with the world around him. He was suddenly extremely fond of everyone around him, especially the little human next to him who was cowering against her seat. Her hand tightly sealed over her mouth.

"Thank you, Julianne."

Julie nodded in response to his vocalising of his gratitude.

"Don't you want to talk anymore, mia bella?"

Julie shook her head.

"Alright then. " Aro then glanced through the privacy glass as the Driver who had his eyes on the road and was blissfully unaware of the uncomfortable atmosphere in the backseat. "You know, all you have to do is say so and I won't get that Driver to turn this Limo around right now."

Julie threw him a look of objection but didn't say a word. Aro shook his head at her and reached for the button that would lower the shield. In response, Julie shot out her hand that had been covering her mouth to grab his wrist.

"Okay. Don't! Please."

Julie felt incredibly embarrassed at the thought of Aro seeing her home. It was a small typical house made of brinks. It looked like a shack compared to the fancy Castle that the Vampires she was in the company of were used to. Her face reddened as the Limo drove up her street which was narrow and she was made painfully aware of how unconventional it was. They hit several small bumps along the way and when they finally came to a stop before the sloping front lawn of where she lived, she quickly launched herself out of the door and slammed it behind her. She didn't want them to come out with her just yet and signaled this desire by raising a hand at them.

She trudged up the lawn, the lights on her porch controlled by motion sensors coming on as she approached. It was just about dawn so it was still dark out as she walked up the stairs and peeked inside one of the windows next to the front door. Unfortunately the blinds obscured her view so she went to reach for the door knob and that's when it hit her.

No keys. They were destroyed in the fire.

Julie turned to walk back to the Limo for some help and she ran right into Aro who was immediately at her side. He caught her arm before she fell down and held her steady. "I can't get in, I don't have my keys."

"Julianne, I think you should return back to the car now." Aro warned her, trying to shepherd her back down the stairs but she refused to move.

"But I need to get in! Perhaps I can try the back-"

"Cara mia, another Vampire is around. Although I'm not too sure if he or she is still here." he said to her in a low voice and Julie froze on the spot. Oh no!

"Wh-What?"

"Also, I smell freshly spilt blood-"

"DAD!" she began pounding her fists on the door. The worst had happened and her father could be dying right now if they didn't get to him on time. Tears began to stream down her face as she tried the door knob but it wouldn't budge for her. Her heart wrenched in agony and she was shaking all over in fear of what she would see once she got inside.

Aro pushed her hands aside and broke off the door knob as easily as snapping a twig. He pushed open the door and Julie rushed inside, almost tripping over her own feet as she began to frantically look all over her small home for her father. Aro sniffed the air and followed the scent right into one of the bedrooms while Julie was checking the lounge room. His eyes went dark with thirst at what he saw.

Lying on the queen sized bed was an elderly male with greying dark hair wearing blood stained pajamas. There was a messy bite wound on his neck to which his life force flowed from. Aro hissed, trying to restrain himself from pouncing upon the seriously injured human and finishing the job, backing away out of the bedroom and retreating down the corridor. He met Julie at the other end who was looking terrified when she saw the expression on the Vampire's face.

"Julianne," he began looking down at her with a genuine look of sympathy for her, "I am so sorry, coniglietto."

Julie shook her head, not wanting to believe him as she tried to move past Aro to get to her father but she may as well be pushing against a brick wall. He wouldn't grant her the favour and instead picked her up bridal style to take her back outside. She screamed and sobbed uncontrollably, struggling against him but her efforts were all in vain.

"No! No no no no no! Please! Please! Put me down! My Dad needs help! Please! Please!" she cried out, raising herself up over Aro's shoulders and reaching uselessly towards her father's bedroom. "Dad! DAD!" She was screaming so much that her throat was starting to get sore, like inner claws were scratching it raw.

Aro turned and instead placed her down on the sofa in the lounge room where she continued to struggle against his iron like grip on her. She jumped, bounced, flailed and tried with all her might to worm out of his hold but he would have none of it. His hands went to frame her face, forcing her took look at him, "I'm sorry. It's too late!"

"No no no-!"

"Please, cara mia. It's better this way-"

"Master?" Renata's voice interrupted, placing her hand on Aro's shoulder to get his attention. He turned his head to look up at her, Julie's anguish mirrored on his face and the look made the Vampiress flinch in distress. Aro hated to see Julie so upset. It made him feel like someone had ripped him apart and was burning every part of his body one piece at a time. "Listen. Her father's heart still beats!"

Julie breathed in sharply, hope dawning upon her misery ridden face. Aro and Renata themselves fell silent to listen.

Their Vampire hearing picked up a soft yet weakening beat of a human heart and Aro immediately stood up in shock. Renata looked up at him expectantly.

"But he is dying fast. There is no time to take him to a hospital. Which mean-"

"C-could... could you change him?"

This question did not come from Aro or any of the other Vampires that had entered the Lawson residence. It came from the small human who was sitting up on the lounge looking every bit as desperate as the human Secretaries of the Volturi that wanted to become Vampires. Her eyes looked to Aro pleadingly and he in turn, gazed back at her looking every bit as baffled as he had been when Bella insisted that he kill her instead of Edward.

"How extraordinary." he began, moving towards her and kneeling down before her, "You don't want immortality but you insist that your father have it. Why?"

"I don't want him to die."

"But what about you? Why him and not you?"

"You already know why."

"But you would curse your own father?"

Julie stood her ground, of course she was aware of how selfish she was being but she couldn't help it. She didn't want to lose her father, she never wanted to lose her father because he was all that she had. He gave her life, so in turn she would give him immortality.

"Please Aro. Don't let my Dad die."


	8. Chapter 8

Renata liked Julie and she wasn't quite sure why. It wasn't a normal favour too, it was that she had a sense of duty to be protective of the human girl. She never really cared about protecting a human before but for some odd reason, she felt compelled to. Why? She didn't know. They were only food to her after all. A source of sustenance to quench her ever burning thirst for blood.

At first she thought it was because Aro had laid claim to Julie and that it was her job to keep what was his as preciously protected as he. But after searching her feelings, that definitely wasn't it. It that were true then she would have felt the same pull towards his first wife, Sulpicia but none ever existed. She had only seen the woman a handful of times and she still directed all her attention and power into keeping only Aro safe.

Renata slipped away to attend to Julie's father and as soon as she laid eyes on him, she finally understood her emotional connection to her. It was because they shared the same DNA. The sight of Julie's father stirred something within Renata and suddenly her top priority of protection transferred from Aro to Martin.

The aversion shield suddenly heard footsteps heading her way, Aro rounded the corner and headed straight to the dying man's room. Renata faced her Master and for the first time ever, used her gift on him. Aro stopped dead in his tracks with a confused look on his Adonis-like features and then began to back away. Renata furrowed her brow in concentration, compelling him to retreat and return back to Julie who looked both stunned and relieved at his change of heart.

"You will not hurt him, Master." Renata said in a uncharacteristically stern voice that only amplified the confusion upon his face.

Aro responded by holding out his hand towards his normally timid bodyguard and she immediately obliged him, taking off one of her gloves and offering it to him. Her thoughts will hold more answers then her lips could ever convey.

The Volturi King's eyes slowly widened at what he saw from Renata's perspective. He saw how her one dimensional world manifested into a more meaningful existence where she didn't serve just one purpose. He found that she now had more of a reason to be here then just to be his bodyguard. When he finally released Renata and allowed her to return to Martin's side, it was then Aro turned around to explain to Julie what he discovered.

"Your father is Renata's mate."

*

_Moments earlier..._

Aro turned his head and caught Renata's eye. He nodded slightly, giving the signal for her to put Mr Lawson out of his misery. The female Vampire glanced briefly at Julie apologetically before heading towards his bedroom.

Julie seemed to have gotten a whiff of what was going on because she tried to get up again. Aro placed his hands on her small shoulders and pushed her back down. Like Curtis, Aro didn't want her to see what he had silently ordered his subordinate to do.

"What's going on?"

"Nevermind, Julianne."

"You're going to kill him anyway, aren't you?" her voice was barely louder than a whisper. She felt so weak and helpless. It also didn't help that she hadn't eaten properly since the day before yesterday and even then she had ran out of the house without breakfast and only had half a cup of tea at work. Dark circles were beginning to form beneath her eyes and her skin was pale from fatigue. Because of her lack of nourishment, Aro could assume that she wasn't thinking straight and coupled with the grief about her dying father, there was no talking to her.

"Let's go home, cara mia."

"But you don't understand." she choked out, struggling feebly against his superhuman grip on her shoulders, "He needs to live. I owe him."

"Owe him for what?"

"Because I'm the reason why he was so unhappy."

Aro was getting more and more impatient with her because he simply couldn't not understand where she was going with this. "How can that be your fault?"

"My mother made him miserable and he had the option to divorce her at anytime but he didn't. Do you know why? Because of me! He didn't want to leave me behind because he knew that once I was old enough to get a job, she would have a new source of income and start bleeding me dry. He stayed to protect me!"

"You're still not making any sense."

"My Dad deserves a second chance in life. He doesn't have a selfish bone in his body and I am fed up with seeing him go without because of me. I am nothing! I'm not worth the pain he's going though. I'm not worth anything!"

Aro came in very close to Julie, so close that she could see every shade of red that made up his irises. Her scent filled his nostrils and began to make his eyes darken, not with hunger but with something else. He was severely offended that she would think so low of herself to feel she was nothing but a burden to those around her. It wasn't really because she thought immortality was a curse, it was because she actually felt that she was not worthy of everlasting life.

"Julianne," he whispered to her, taking both of her hands in his own. "He's your father. He loves you and only wanted the best for you. When you love someone that much, you love them more than your own life. So much so you would put their happiness above your own because you would rather die then ever see-" he cut himself off. It was hitting too close to home and he had to stop himself because giving away too much again. What was she doing to him?!

Aro frowned to himself and turned his head away, Renata should have finished with him by now but he could still hear the male human's faint heartbeat. He got up and flitted towards his room only to be apprehended by Renata who used her gift to turn him away. It was the first time she ever defied him and knew something major happened to make her react this way. After reading her mind he was left in awe of the situation and it looked as though Julie would keep her father but for an entirely different reason.

Julie looked completely taken aback by Renata's mating bond to her father and to Aro's horror, the little human fainted on the spot. The lack of food and emotional distress had finally got to her but he caught her before her weakened body hit the ground. He moved her back towards the lounge and laid her down while Renata retreated back into Martin's room.

The Vampire bite that he had already sustained didn't seem to be doing enough to help him so she began to bite him all over his body. His arms, his legs, anywhere she could reach. The more she bit him, the more he finally began to react. His body began to twitch and his eyes shot open in silent agony. She had waited for nearly a thousand years for him and wasn't going to lose her new found mate.

*

As soon as Julie had regained consciousness, Aro took her into town to get her something to eat. There wasn't really anything for her to have in the house and so had to settle for getting her take away. It had began to rain so again he didn't have to worry about being exposed in the sunlight.

To his relief and delight, Julie practically shoved down the fish and chips that he had bought her at a local Diner while he nursed a glass of water just to keep up appearances. Before leaving Julie's house, he once again employed the use of his blue contact lenses to divert suspicion but it obviously wasn't working that well. The other patrons around them was giving them more attention than he was used to and figured that small town folk mustn't be used to strangers. The customer base of the Diner mostly consisted of teenagers and people of the lower class part of the social ladder. It was all flannel, jeans and t-shirts with cheesy slogans.

When they finally grew bored and returned back to their own murmurs of conversation, it was then Aro decided to engage Julie in a verbal exchange of their own. She looked like she had alot on her mind despite her sudden urge to act like piglet at a trough.

"Feel better?"

Julie regarded Aro with a weary look as she took a swig of her can of Sprite. She shrugged as she put down the soft drink and leaned back in her seat. "I'm just... concerned."

"Your father is going to be fine." Aro reassured her, reaching out to rub her back soothingly. However, Julie shook her head to indicate this was not what she was thinking of.

"I certainly hope so but that's not it." she looked up at him and let out a soft sigh, "I- I am just worried how my Dad will react. He's been treated very badly and I just hope Renata is patient with him. He needs alot of understanding."

Aro smiled at her as he waved for the waitress to bring Julie another helping, "She will make him very happy."

"She better or I make her sorry she was even born." she put on an over exaggerated evil grin that Aro chuckled at. There she goes, being cute again.

"To do that, you'll have to become one of us."

"So be it."

Aro blinked, doing a double take. Did she say what he thought she said or was it simply wishful thinking? He leaned over the table at her, looking serious, "What do you mean by that?"

Julie bit her lower lip, nervousness setting in as she looked down at her lap, "I... I have been thinking about it."

"You have changed your mind?"

"Maybe." she was being careful but Aro finally had his foot in the door. Being on the fence was far better than flat out refusal. In true Julie fashion, she raised her head and changed the subject, "What happened at the Airport?"

Aro groaned, shaking his head, "I told you, I wasn't flirting-"

"No, no. I mean with that Athol bloke-"

"You mean Afton?"

"Yes. I still don't understand how he got past security." Julie went on looking genuinely baffled yet impressed at the same time. She offered him a shy, little smile that gave him a little wave of euphoria.

"He has a gift that enables him to be invisible to pursuers to which he can expand to someone else as long as they stand behind him." he explained in a hushed whisper and Julie's lips parted in response, looking completely mystified.

"How about Renata? Does she have a gift too?"

"Yes, she has the gift of aversion. She can drive away those with hostile intentions by changing their mind per se."

"What about Jane and Alec?"

A small smirk appeared on his lips. He liked talking about the twins because the were the cream of the crop. They were among the most prized members of the Volturi, "Ah! Now they are in a class of their own."

"What do you mean by that? What can they do that is so special?"

"Jane can make you feel the most horrible pain imaginable. I have been told it was like being burnt alive and if she did it long enough, you can go insane. Alec is the opposite, he can make you feel nothing. All your senses are cut off until you are numb in every meaning of the term."

Julie looked winded, as if someone had just punched her in the gut. When the Waitress had come back with her second serve of fish and chips, she pushed it away, clearing losing her appetite. Infact she felt like throwing up, "How... lovely."

Aro tilted his head to the side calmly, "Don't worry, my dear. You obviously have immunity to their gifts. So they can't hurt you even if they tried... mentally speaking of course."

"Do all of your kind have gifts like those?"

"Only a select few do."

"You seem to be surrounded by them."

"Well, that is probably because I am a bit of a collector, amata. I seek out the gifted and offer them a place with the Volturi."

"Who?"

"That's the name of our Coven; the Volturi."

"And what do the Volturi do with all these gifted members?"

Aro's eyes darted around the area but the place was too noisey for anyone to overhear their conversation so he felt it was safe enough to continue. "We are like the protectors of our kind. We make sure no one exposes us to the humans."

"Why? What can we do to you?" Julie snorted as she raised a brow. She found the thought of someone as powerful as Aro to be scared of humans laughable. She fancied he could kill her with a simple flick of his wrist.

"My dear girl, surely you have noticed that there are weapons already available that can destroy our species? We can't risk anyone drawing attention to our existence. Natural human doubt is our best defense and as long as people think we are the invention of an overactive imagination, we are protected."

She pursed her lips together. Somehow the thought of Aro being blown to pieces really didn't sit well with her at all. Infact she hated to even think about it and she distracted herself by picking at her fresh supply of deep fried pieces of potato.

"How old are you, Aro?"

"I'm ancient."

"How ancient?"

"I'm over 3,000 years old."

Julie choked on her food before quickly taking a big gulp of her fizzy drink to clear her esophagus . "That's... that's impossible!"

"And yet I am here before you today." he grinned fondly at her with a wink. "What's the matter? Don't like older men?"

"Honestly I don't really have a preference." Julie could feel her cheeks reddening. "Just as long as he's nice-"

"Aren't I nice?"

"Yes-"

"And surely you know that older men have so much more to offer?"

"Yes but not so often." Where the hell did that come from?

Aro wasn't fazed at all at her cheeky come back. Instead he leaned in close to Julie, his cool lips grazing her skin as he whispered in her ear, "Give me a chance and I can prove you wrong." He saw the girl's body shiver slightly at his sensual words and his smirk widened, "Over and over and over again... for _eternity_..."

The sound of plastic cutlery hitting the floor made him snigger as Julie bent over her seat, her fingers fumbling to pick up her eating utensils. The Waitress quickly rushed over and took the soiled, inferior imitation of a knife and fork and replaced it with a clean set.

The heat radiating off the small female's body was delicious as well as a telltale scent of arousal that began to drift towards him. She was blushing madly now and Aro decided right then and there that he loved her in red. He never used to put this much effort into seducing someone before. Usually he never had to say a word. All he did was smile and their legs fell apart just like that.

Speaking of which, Julie had her legs too tightly crossed over the other to look comfortable and it gave his ego quite a boost. She was trying to resist him but damn it, he wasn't going to have any of it. His fingers reached up to run down the side of her face and she flinched awkwardly at his touch.

Meanwhile Julie was scared of what was happening to her body. Her sexual experience was non-existent and she didn't know how to deal with any of it. She began to ache in her nether regions and felt hot all over her. She went to get out of her seat but Aro was too quick for her this time. His arm was suddenly around her waist and she was thrust up against him, his own body rumbled with his purrs of relish at the intimate contact.

"No..." she gasped softly, half expecting him to refuse her. But instead, Aro obeyed and let her go at once. The male Vampire moved away a respectful distance looking very dejected.

"I'm very sorry." he sounded thoroughly defeated and something screamed at her to at least make an effort to comfort him. However she didn't know how to and she was forced to remain in her seat, staring at him uncomfortably.

What was wrong with him? Did he misread something? Was Jane right in assuming that he wasn't good enough for her? It actually hurt to be rejected by this human because he had never been rejected before - well, not in the romantic sense anyway. Up until he met Julie, he could have anyone he wished, so why couldn't he have her? Didn't she like him? Didn't she find him attractive?

"Aro," he heard her begin timidly, "I think you're a very nice man." Oh, no. Here comes the speech. He never thought he would be on the receiving end of one ever in his entire life time. And he had lived for a very longtime. He stiffened, preparing himself for the fatal blow of rejection. "But can we take our time please? I've never really been with anyone before. I don't know how to do this."

"What?" Aro blinked, relieved that he wasn't being rejected after all but surprised to hear this fact about her. Of course the clues were there but he always thought she was joking. "Never?"

Julie shook her head, looking thoroughly humiliated, "I'm usually the girl that is overlooked. So, I'm just... you know... stupid."

"You're _not stupid_, amata. Just inexperienced." his body finally relaxed, relieved that it was all just a misunderstanding. "I'll be patient for you."

"Thank you." she offered him a little smile. Rushing things was never her strong point and knew if she gave into the temptation she was liable to make mistakes and muck things up. If there was one thing Julie was very good at, it was making an idiot of herself. She wanted to do something right for once and Aro was the sort of man she wished to keep around for a very long time.

Hopefully forever.


	9. Chapter 9

"Thank you for taking me out to eat, Aro. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome, coniglietto. It was an honour and a privilege."

Julie paused at the top of the stairs leading up to the porch and turned to look down at Aro who had been following her up. Upon catching her eye, he had also stopped midway. She cocked her head to the side, the smile on her face had been present since they had left that morning to go into town.

The Limo was still parked outside her home and was beginning to draw curious stares from the neighbours as they went outside to retrieve their newspapers. Incidentally the story that was plastered all over the front page was about 'the NEO Tech tragedy' and the fire being treated as 'suspicious' by the Police. Aro had binned it, not wanting Julie to see the story lest it would bring about another tiff.

It was past midday by the time they had gotten back and besides Renata who was still looking after Julie's father through his transformation, the Volturi guard had gone off to hunt. It occurred to the girl that Aro may be getting thirsty too but he insisted he would be fine and wanted to wait until the rest got back.

"Are you always this... gallant?"

"I would like to think I am, my dear."

"Are you serious?"

"Do you find it objectionable?"

Julie shook her head quickly, "Oh no, not at all. It's nice to see that chivalry still exists when everyone seems to think and act like it's dead."

Aro walked the rest of the way up the stairs and raised his finger tips to tap her nose softly in an affectionate manner, "I suppose it helps that someone like me has been around back when it was fashionable." His eyes began to darken the longer he stared at her and Julie twitched from the intensity of his gaze.

"Are you sure you're not too thirsty? I won't be offended if you need to... you know... get a drink." Aro being a drinker of human blood bothered her to the point of getting severe sympathy pains for his victims. Although she was well aware that he couldn't help it, it still made her sick and she preferred not to think about it. Meanwhile she didn't dare move although she seemingly had a very strong and very thirsty Vampire standing before her. Somehow she knew she was safe with Aro.

The rain had long since stopped and the clouds in the sky were beginning to shift. Before she could say something, a beam of sunlight peaked through the fluffy wisps briefly and hit the immortal male's hand. What she saw astounded her and made her eyes glaze over in a enchanted daze.

Just like it were embedded within his pale, seemingly translucent skin, a million shards of diamond-like sparkles glittered from his finger tips to his wrist. She had never seen Kurt in the sunlight and since knowing he was a Vampire, she always assumed it was because he would burn. She never imagined that it was because it made the angelic appearance of these supernatural creatures enhanced to a stunning degree.

She quite liked this version of Vampire much better to the myths and legends she had heard of before. As bizarre as her discovery was, she felt it was far more ridiculous that a Vampire could turn to dust just by being in the sun. Somehow sparkling skin made more sense.

"Beautiful." The little human took hold of Aro's hand in both her own and tried to get a closer look but the beam and faded away just as quickly as it had come. She let out a soft moan of disappointment.

"Yes, you are." Aro responded in a whisper so soft that Julie barely heard him. His darkened gaze was not caused by thirst but desire. While she had been staring at the phenomenon that his skin produced, he had been staring at her lips. Since being fed, her colour had returned and he was just noticing how pink her lips were. It was a deep shade bordering on red. They had a natural pout that was more prominent when she was in deep thought, like now. When she had taken his hand to bring it closer for inspection, he was severely tempted to grab her around the neck and crush his mouth onto hers in a passionate embrace.

However he remembered her own desire to take things slow because of her inexperience. Although he was relieved to know that she had been untouched by others, he would give anything to see that look on her face again. That flushed, heated expression of arousal that he inspired in her back at the Diner when he whispered his intentions to her.

Oh gods, he could teach her a thing or two if she would let him.

He was broken out of his lustful thoughts when Julie had lead him back inside her house. The front door's knob evidently fixed back into place while they were gone. They made their way to her father's room where Renata was gazing intently at the male human like he had brought about world peace. Julie felt incredibly awkward at the way the female Vampire was looking at her Dad and coughed to get her attention. She turned her head and upon seeing Julie standing at the doorway with Aro, smiled pleasantly at her and flitted in her direction.

"Hello, Miss Julie. Are you feeling better?" her voice was so soft and endearingly lovely that she fancied she could charm the birds right off the branches. "Mr Lawson is doing very well. Look, his appearance is already changing. Come and see!" she took the little human's hand and lead her to the bed where her father was now tucked in neatly under the blankets.

She noticed that he had been cleaned up and changed out of his pajamas into a fresh set. A surge of anger erupted within her. Julie felt that Renata had overstepped her boundaries by uncovering his modesty when he was in such a vulnerable state. However the subtle changes in her father's appearance distracted her. For now.

Martin looked like he had some botox injections, his wrinkles had decreased in appearance and his skin was beginning to lose it's colour. His hair that had been greying was now reverting back to the same shade of darkest brown that matched his daughter's and the wounds he had sustained from the mystery Vamp as well as Renata's looked almost half healed. Despite his comatose state, he appeared to be in the best shape she had ever seen him in and was looking forward to seeing what he would be like as a Vampire.

Aro watched Julie's reaction to her father silently from the sidelines. The look of fascination that quickly grew on her dark features made him all the more eager for the next opportunity to sway her in his favour. And being directly related to Julie, there was every chance that Martin may have a gift too.

Speaking of which, Aro past both Julie and Renata in an effort to reach Martin. However, Renata suddenly let out a growl of protest and grabbed Aro around the throat before his hand grazed the old man's face, "Leave him alone!" she snarled and the Volturi superior stared at her in shock of her behaviour.

Aro had known Renata for centuries and up until she found Martin, she was never one to raise her voice or act hostile towards him. She was always meek, willing to serve and never refused him. Now she was like a complete stranger and it would have been upsetting if he couldn't read her mind and understand how she felt. Renata was only being protective of her mate.

Julie squeaked in shock and rushed forward to try to tug Renata's hand away from Aro's neck but she may as well be trying to bend a thick pillar of stone. The aversion shield carrier would not yield to her actions and instead ignored her completely. Her eyes were black and very dangerous looking as she glared up at Aro.

"Please! Let him go!" Julie yelped as she grabbed her shoulders and attempted to shake her out of her sudden bout of fury. "He won't hurt him. Right, Aro?"

Aro nodded and Renata loosen her grip just enough around his throat to allow him to speak, "I was just going to read his mind. Perhaps his thoughts could tell us who tried to kill him."

Julie watched in awe as Aro took in every thought and memory her father ever had, concentrating specifically on just prior to him being bitten. He had his hand clasped in both of his own with his blood red eyes staring off into the distance. He frowned with confusion and hissed softly every now and again at what he saw. Evidently whatever it was had him completely amazed.

Renata had been persuaded by Julie to join the others. She left very reluctantly, throwing Aro a look of warning before conceding to the younger human's request. This whole mating thing confused her, infact alot of things got her mind in a muddle and sometimes she felt like screaming from the frustration of it all. Nothing made sense anymore. She felt like Alice in her own bizarre Wonderland.

"Interesting."

Julie had been sitting on the empty side of the queen sized bed that her father did not occupy. Aro was standing next to him on the other side, carefully placing the turning human's hand back down beside him. He was staring at her, his facial expression now not giving much away at what he had seen.

"His thoughts don't make sense to me." he finally said flitting around to Julie's side of the bed. She in turn looked up at him questioningly.

"Why? What did you see? Who did this to him?"

"You did."

Julie's mouth fell open. What in the world was he going on about? As if she would ever hurt her own flesh and blood! "Don't tease me, Aro. I'm not in the mood."

"Don't shoot the messenger."

"But that's impossible! I was with you in Italy the entire time-"

"Precisely. Hence why I said it doesn't make sense." Aro said with a nod of reassurance at her. "But it could definitely account for why your father thought you were with him up until he received that phone call from you."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The imposter could very well be your exact double." Aro replied, his mouth twisting into a pained grimace. "Of course I could tell the difference. She's not as pretty as you are. Even for a Vampire."

"So there is a Vampire double of me running around?"

"It's amusing though because I always thought you were attractive for a human." Aro wasn't really paying attention. Too caught up in his own thoughts about what he had just seen. The young woman in Martin's memories was her doppelganger down to the minute detail besides the obvious Vampire features. The girl was arrogant enough to not even disguise her crimson eyes with contact lenses to be more convincing. In her father's mind he had noticed but thought it was some sort of fashion statement that the kids had going nowadays. They coloured their hair all sorts of vulgar shades, wore clothes that looked as though it had been vomited onto them and mutilated their ears by African inspired hoops. Understandably Martin didn't put it past them to also do something to their eyes.

"Aro!" Julie tugged his arm and the Vampire male snapped himself out of it.

"I'm beginning to think the Gods must favour you as much as I do."

Julie raised a brow and Aro quirked one back at her in response, "Now you're not making sense. What do you mean by that?"

"They're obviously making copies of you, my dear." Aro was smiling at her and she recoiled under the intensity of his gaze once more. She just wasn't used to anyone looking at her with that much admiration in their eyes, with such strong emotions. It only emphasised her own feeling of being unworthy of this Godlike man's attention. "First Kurt's daughter, then you and now this Vampire."

"Well, they do say 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery'." Julie was honestly uncomfortable that she had a twin running around doing terrible things. Contrary to what Aro believed, it was like the Gods actually had it in for her. "And you get a preview of what I would look like as a Vampire-"

"I said that you are much prettier than she is and you aren't even a immortal yet."

"Looks fade."

"Not when you are a Vampire, cara mia."

"But why? Why would she target my father? What was the point of it all? I don't know this woman!" Julie protested, they were getting far too off the subject for her liking. The irritation of not understanding one damn thing that was going on and no one and nothing providing a answer was getting to her. "Just-Why?"

"I don't know but she is clever." Aro took hold of Julie and brought her in close, his arms snaking around her back to rub away the tenseness in her shoulders. Julie at first stiffened but forced herself to relax, the contact was so out of the blue but that was his style. He was the nucleus of her confusion and at times he did nothing to calm the chaos that was going on in her mind. But at the same time she felt if she didn't have him, she would be worse off than she originally was. Besides which the embrace felt... nice. It was protective, comforting and felt so right. "When she bit him, she was careful not to allow her venom to enter his veins. She fed on him for a moment then intended to bleed him to death. However the might of the human will stopped him."

"How?" she whispered to him, his scent filled her nose and she was beginning to feel dizzy and yet content. He smelled so good to her, alluring and addictive. It was like being in the soft warmth of one's bed. It was peaceful and secure.

"He was dying, Julie. He thought he would never see the real you again and so he had lost the will to live. Then he heard your voice crying out for him and he started to fight. He wanted to live for you."

Julie released a breath that she wasn't aware she had been holding. She started to smile, a new feeling of warmth blossoming within her. Her arms in turn wrapped themselves around Aro's waist and she pressed herself up against him, attempting to drown herself in his rock hard body. Of course this was an exercise of futility but she wanted to try anyway.

Renata had returned along with the others while Julie was taking a shower. Afterwards she was so glad to be able to change into her own clothing which consisted of jeans leggings, three quarter sleeve peach shirt, black aviator style jacket and thigh high, platform brown boots. The moment she emerged from her room, she could feel every pair of red eyes on her, minus Renata who had immediately returned to Martin's side.

"Hey! Pump it!" Afton grinned, giving Julie the thumbs up which earned him a nasty glare from Aro. Jane and Alec exchanged looks with each other, not sure how to react. Aro got up from the lounge and looked the girl up and down.

"You normally walk around dressed like that?" again his expression was unreadable and Julie shrugged, looking down at her clothing.

"Yeah, yeah. I know, not very ladylike-"

"No. You look... very nice."

Julie double take, old fashioned Aro liked her in modern day ladies clothing? Get out of town!

But now when she gazed up at him, his facial expression had changed to back up his statement. He was smiling at her again and she flinched in pleasant surprise. Not that she dressed to please anyone but herself, it was still nice to have his approval none the less.

"Thank you, Aro." she replied, the surprise clearly evident in her voice. Aro continued to gaze at her with the same powerfully emotional stare that gave her a sense of giddiness. Perhaps wearing platforms was a bad idea? "So... erm. Shall we - you know - go - now?" she waved her hands pathetically towards the front door. She was sure Aro was eager to get some blood in system now that his guard had returned. Julie was happy to stay at home while he went to hunt but Aro insisted on taking her with him for her 'education'. If she was to become a Vampire, she may as well get used to the unpleasant parts of being one and that included killing humans to sustain them.

Julie honestly didn't like the idea and it was enough to turn her right off the idea. However Aro happily reminded her that he lived up to his side of the bargain by taking her to Australia at such short notice in return for her doing anything that he wanted her to do. And of course, he had made it painfully obvious every chance he got that he wanted her to become one of them. So what choice did she have?

Once they were outside, Aro had gotten her to walk with him down the footpath of her street at a rather leisurely pace. At this time of the day, the neighbours were out mowing the lawn, tending to their gardens or playing an assortment of games with their children. There was a group of people around Julie's age who had all their cars crammed into the front yard of an equally young couple's home playing hip hop music from their stereos. Needless to say there were too many witnesses around for Aro to feed and so the girl was understandably confused.

"Why are-?"

"I just wanted to talk first." Aro cut her off, sensing her confusion. "Who is Michael?"

Julie blinked at him, she hadn't heard that name in a very long time and preferred not to hear it ever again. She stiffened next to him, a stoney look appearing on her face. "What?"

"When I was trying to focus on the parts of your father's mind that told us about your Vampire twin, I came across a brief memory of you talking about someone named Michael. Whoever he was made you very upset. Who was he? An ex boyfriend?"

"He wishes he was." Julie spat, her temper rising as she recalled a older man who looked every bit as slimey as his personality. "He was a bloke who posed as a photographer and asked me to model for him."

"You were a model?"

"I was _never_ a model but in his guise, he said he could make me one and he seemed authentic enough to lure me to his home for a couple of hours, get me to strip down and take tasteless pictures of me." Upon seeing the look of shock on Aro's face, enough to make him stop in tracks, Julie quickly added, "He never saw me naked! I mean, he got me to pose in swim and fantasy wear!"

"What kind of fantasy wear?" Aro said, forcing his voice to stay calm although his temper was rising.

"You know... like a Nurse, School girl and Cheerleader." Julie answered, her voice quavering due to the shame. "He said his 'clients' wanted to see how those outfits would look on a girl like me. Of course he turned out to be a dud and only wanted to come onto me. He kept talking about how beautiful I was and how he would love to 'romance' me. I was 17 at the time but I should have known better than to think I was ever that special." She dared a peek up at Aro who looked every bit like the vengeful predator that a Vampire was supposed to be. It was a silent anger but it was as prominent as him yelling in rage at the top of his lungs. He didn't even growl, he just stood there in quiet fury.

"Didn't you do anything about it? Report him to the Police?"

"I'm not exactly Jackie Chan and my Dad was too old to defend me. I didn't want to tell the Police because I was much to embarrassed and furthermore, there were no witnesses. It was my word against his. The most I could do was wait until my Dad came to get me, take me home and never speak of it again." Julie looked down at the ground, mortified beyond her imagination.

"Where does he live?"


	10. Chapter 10

Michael Green was a thin man in his late fifties living alone in his small home on the opposite site of Norwood. On the surface he was a nice enough man, kept to himself, paid his bills and enjoyed a drink or a casual game of snooker at the local pubs. In private it was a different story.

He was a sex addict and spent his evening downloading porn and pleasuring himself to the vulgar adult films that he purchased off the internet. He also loved to stalk young, unsuspecting women and take pictures of them for his personal enjoyment. Michael often used the cover of free lance photographer whenever he ran into anyone he knew.

A few years ago he came across a particularly attractive young girl of Asian decent shopping with her Caucasian father at the Supermarket. He licked his lips at the thought of what she may look like without her tomboyish clothing and immediately made a beeline for her. He introduced himself as fashion photographer, frequently scouting for talent and emphasized how perfect she would be to model for clients who were in the industry. At first she was skeptical and expressed a desire to think about his offer but he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. She looked too delicious to let go of and badgered her until she gave him her number to set up a test shoot.

He still remembered her name; Julie Lawson.

The day her father dropped her off at his home, he made sure to make his 'studio' look as authentic as he possibly could. He set up a vast white back drop for her to pose infront of as well as scattering random photographs of other models he downloaded off the internet that he would claim to have 'worked with'. He laid out the outfits he wished for her to wear, he would start with something halfway decent and gradually descend into outfits that left little to the imagination.

He felt himself harden in his pants as he coaxed her into those outfits and took pictures of her in very compromising positions. He explained this by saying that his 'clients' wanted to see how good a female would look in their clothing and so encouraged her to strike sultry poses. He instructed her to run her hands over the sensuous curves of her teenage body and pull expressions of seductive to orgasmic ecstasy.

Julie was clearly getting uncomfortable towards the end of the shoot, especially when he attempted to ease her mind by reassuring her that she was very sexy and found her very desirable. He began to close in on her when he got her into a very brief looking pink bikini. He whispered promises of romance while he tenderly stroked her soft thighs and her shapely arse.

She tried to laugh it off, not answering him directly, clearly too much of a push over to bravely reject him outright. She was his favourite type girl, easily persuadable and naive enough to think that this was all a misunderstanding. It was then he tried to rub up against her, huskily telling her that she was making him horny and fantasized how he would like to give her young pussy a nice, hard fucking.

Unfortunately for him, she kept stalling with her meek brush offs and half an hour before her father was due to pick her up, she had gotten dressed in the clothing she had came in. That action alone was enough to tell him that he had taken it too far and cursed himself for being too eager. If only he had kept his big mouth shut she would be naked in his bed by now, her lovely legs spread, cunt hot and wet and her begging him to fuck her.

She never spoke to him again.

He thought about calling her and apologising but it was all too much of a screw up on his part so he decided to just let her be. Now here he was, three years down the track and her name was mentioned in today's paper as one of the people who were missing from the fire down at the old NEO-Tech building. What a good waste of pussy.

There was a firm, crisp knock at his door that evening and Michael tore himself away from his computer to answer. He hadn't quite gotten to the part where his hand disappeared down his sweat pants at the pictures of Julie displayed on his wide screen monitor. He hadn't looked at her pictures for a good while and had forgotten what a sweet looking bitch she was.

"Hello. Mr Michael Green, I presume?" Aro smiled pleasantly but his voice held a softly dark edge to it. He took in the sight of the physically older human male before him. His greying hair was almost as long as Aro's and was tied back into a sloppy ponytail. He had a matching goatee that was wild and unkempt. He was every bit as slimey as Julie had described him to be.

Speaking of Julie, Aro had perched her at the front window that looked directly into his living room. The curtains were drawn but there was still enough of an opening between the material for her to see what was going on inside. Aro wanted her to witness how he would take down his prey for her education and his own personal, sadistic enjoyment.

This deplorable excuse for a human was going to pay for disrespecting the angel that was his mate tonight.

"Who's asking?" Michael replied, shifting his weight from one foot to the other in shallow nervousness. The man before him was very well dressed, properly groomed and insanely perfect for aristocratic man. His eyes was what drew most of his attention, they were black like shark's eyes were and unsettled him despite his friendly demeanour.

"I am interested in your services." Aro went on, his voice as light as a feather making him sound somewhat creepy and dangerous. Demanding respect and fear from his obvious inferior. "I have a beautiful lady friend who is looking to have some composites done. I would like to see a portfolio if available?" He wanted to see the photographs that this bastard had taken of Julie. From how she described them, they were no less than borderline pornographic and no one should be able to see what was his in such a way.

Michael smirked, relaxing alittle and very eager to drum up some 'business'. From the way Aro looked, he could con quite alot out of cash out of him. He moved towards his computer and shifted the monitor around so his new client could see the photos he had taken of Julie.

The images that Aro saw made his eyes narrow and the beast within him snarl murderously. They were enlarged thumbnails of his human mate wearing a School girl's outfit to which she was lifting the skirt up teasingly just shy of revealing her panties. Admittedly the Volturi Head would have found it arousing if it weren't for the look of dread evident on her face through her sensual facade. As the male human scrolled through each photograph, the look became more and more apparent. There was one where she was facing away from the camera as she posed in a black bra and panty set, reclining on a pile of red cushions with a look of humiliation etched on her face. Another one in a pink swimsuit, looking down as she positioned her arms to form a tight V to make her breasts contract enticingly.

"Are these the only copies you have?"

Michael furrowed his brow slightly, "Strange question but yeah. I have the only copies right here saved on my hard drive." He reached down to pat the large system box tower positioned below his desk. "So what do you think?" his dull, hazel eyes glazed over with remembered lust, "Her name was Julie and fuck was she something! Would have made a terrific porn star if she stayed around for more shoots. I have friends in the business who are looking for girls just like her. I should know... I've fucked her."

Aro's eyes widened furiously at his lie.

"Really?" the Vampire male feigned interest and tried to arrange his face to make him look impressed although he was internally screaming for his blood, "Nice, was she?"

"A real slut!" Michael smirked, "Comes around every weekend-"

Aro had heard enough, he grabbed him around his neck and the moment he touched his skin, the filthy thoughts that Michael had about Julie flooded into his mind like a waterfall made of putrid garbage. He saw what actually happened that day and the more he soaked up, the more insanely angry he became. He clearly tried forced himself upon her but she kept pushing him away. No sex ever happened between them.

Aro roared in severe hatred and slammed Michael's head right into the screen of his computer monitor. He then raised him back up and threw him violently against the wall, flitting over to him before he could slide down and slammed him repeatedly until he tore a human sized hole. When the pathetic corpse of the pervert fell threw and landed on the floor on the otherside, that was when the Vampire spoke.

"She is MINE!" he hollared down at the man who was already dead. His skull had fractured horribly and his spine broke in several places. His chest had collapsed from all the broken ribs and his pelvis had shattered. "How dare you befoul her reputation with your disgusting lies! She will never be yours! SHE IS MINE!"

And at that Aro finally lunged, fastened his teeth around his neck and bit down harder than he needed to.

Meanwhile Julie hung onto the ledge of the window sill outside and looked around frantically to make sure no one else was watching. It was dark out and everyone else was probably too busy watching the news or making dinner to notice the ruckus that was going on at Michael Green's home. She personally had mixed feelings about what she was witnessing, the man was clearly one of the most revolting of perverts and it made her angry that he would brag about their non-existent sex life. At the same time did he really deserve to die?

It was Aro's idea to hunt Michael down, reasoning that it would be one less bastard in world for everyone to deal with. She wasn't sure if he was doing this for her moral benefit or as personal preference for victims. But when he yelled that she was his again, her heart leapt and throbbed in her chest. They didn't know each other for that long and here he was standing up for her like she was the most important person in the world to him.

She looked sadly down at the ground. Why her? He could have anyone he wanted so why choose her? It didn't make sense at all. She was nothing but a worthless human compared to him. Nothing special, nothing to get excited over. She could think of countless other kinds of girls that were more deserving of him than she was. Why not them? Why her?

After he was done feeding, he burnt the place down so to make sure that all evidence of Julie's horrible experience was obliterated. As soon as he returned to her side, her picked her up in his arms and ran intending to take her home, his eyes once again crimson. He held her tight against him, her small body shaking and her heart beating out a erratic rhythm. It indicated a troubled mind and Aro's paces slowed down until they stopped in the middle of Main Street. No one was around to see or hear them as Aro sat the human female down on one of the benches that lined the sidewalk.

"Julianne." he began, looking into the dark brown orbs she called eyes, "Please don't worry, amata. I don't think less of you after what I saw back at that animal's house. I see you as the perfect young lady that should be treated like a Queen. _My Queen_-"

"Yours?" Julie interjected, her voice sounding raspy with disbelief. Her sinus' began to ache and he eyes prickled with tears. Her heart felt as though it had just been punched and she was suddenly finding it difficult to breathe easily.

Aro took hold of her forearms and kneeled down before her, "Yes." his right hand left her arm and raised to rest beneath her chin, "My Queen." he confirmed his voice as soft as a lover's caress.

Julie shook her head jerkily, "No. I can't. I'm not good enough-"

"I think you are." he said and meaning it more than he ever meant anything in all his three thousands plus years, "And what I say goes."

"Why? Because you're the King?" Julie sniffed, her sarcasm watered down by her self loathing.

"Absolutely." he said firmly in the commanding tone he would usually use when he spoke to his Guard. It was so pronounced that even Julie paused and stared at him, somehow believing him even if he didn't have evidence to support his claim.

"What?"

"I'm a King. I rule our world along side my brothers, Marcus and Caius. I have ruled my world for a very long time and now I want you as my Queen." this was it, he was bearing his whole hand now and he didn't care. Reservations be damned! He wanted her to know, he wanted her to know everything. "I choose you, Julianne, to be my new Queen." he moved in closer to her until their faces were inches apart, "I can promise you, I will make you happy. You'll never want for anything ever again. You will be loved and cherished for all eternity."

Julie continued to stare at him, astounded by what he just said. Not only was he far above her reach in terms of standards, now he was asking her to be something she herself felt she could never live up to. A couple of days ago she was nothing but an Office girl who had dropped out of High School, lived with her father and helped paying off a debt that she would be most likely doing for the next 20 years of her lifetime. She was so used to getting the short end of the stick that she had come to expect it and feel like she deserved it.

Now she was offered something that most girls her age would only dream of. A handsome stranger wanted to whisk her away and make her his literal Queen. He appeared more than willing to shower her with the love and affection she thought only existed in fairytales. It all sounded like ecstasy to her. Too good to be true.

And you know what they say about things that sound too good to be true.

"Julianne. Please. All you have to do is say-"

"No."

If the first rejection had been Earth shattering, this one destroyed his entire Universe. There was no selfish want behind his proposition other than wanting Julie all for himself. He wanted to protect her, provide for her and most of all, he wanted to love her. He no longer cared if she had a gift. He didn't care about manipulating her just to know he conquered her. He just wanted her love.

"No?" it was the most painful word to hear coming from her. "Why?" He knew he sounded pathetic and broken but he couldn't help it. He offered her his heart and she pushed it away as if it were nothing special. Aro never offered his heart to anyone else before, not even Sulpicia. Granted he acted like he did whilst courting her but it was all a lie. Now he wasn't acting at all, it was all as genuine as the sky was blue and the grass was green.

"Look at me, Aro!" Julie cried out softly, seeing the look of hurt and disappoint upon his lovely features tore at her insides. However she carried on, "I'm not... I'm not-"

"You're not what?"

"Why did you choose your first wife?"

"Does it really matter why?"

"Think about it. Men in your position have to think about how you look to the public. You need to look respectable so the people have faith in your leadership. Sulpicia fit the bill didn't she? Beautiful? Well spoken? Had the look of a Queen or at least someone you pictured as your wife, am I wrong?" Something inside her screamed for her to stop talking. Stop talking at once because now Aro looked like he was falling apart before her. His hands had slipped away from her body and the feeling of safety and security had been taken away. She was now as vulnerable as he looked. "What am I going to look like standing next to you?"

Aro stared at her, his blank expression clearly masking his true emotions that had been so apparent before. So she thought she wasn't worthy of him? What about him? Doesn't he have a say in this? Who was she to tell him about his own feelings? He wasn't a child, he knew what he wanted, he was capable of making his own decisions and he didn't need anyone telling him otherwise!

The immortal male began to close the distance between them slowly, the mortal female sat frozen on the spot watching as he came closer to her. His hand came up to cup her cheek, his thumb coming down to brush over her full, cherry coloured lower lip. His own lips landed on the corner of her mouth, placing a soft, gentle kiss to test the waters.

Her mouth moved, her lips parting in response as a whisper of warm air washed over his thumb in the form of a pleasured gasp. Aro wanted to tease her, make her turn her head to kiss him back. When her head failed to move, his mouth began to slide down her chin towards her jugular, planting a teasing nip with his lips on her pulse spot. He felt her hand come up to tangle themselves in his long dark locks at the back of his head. She tipped her own head back, mewing softly as his mouth pressed provocatively against her flesh, his tongue running along the vein he would have chosen to attack if she were his meal.

"I have never cared what people thought of me. Not until I met you, Julianne." he husked against her skin and her breathing caught in her throat, "I take what I want, whenever I want. And what I want is you. I will not stop. I will never ever stop. Not even after I have you, I will never stop. Never."

He sounded so carnal in his expression of his desires. So raw and animalistic. At the same time he was passionate and oh so loving. It made her realise that she was pushing him away not just because of her self doubt and feeling of inadequacy, it was also the fear of losing him. Losing him would kill her, so it was logical to make sure she never had him in the first place. That way she could never miss what she never had.

But the way he was touching her, seducing her with words and kisses, he was making it damn near impossible to resist. He was designed to be her perfect vice, her downfall, the weapon to destroy her.

And right now, she would welcome his assassination with wide open arms.

_Destroy me._


	11. Chapter 11

Julie and Aro made their way back to her house in silence. Her cradled in his arms bridal style with her head tucked underneath his chin. Aro carried her inside and continued to carry her right into her bedroom. The guard were situated in the lounge room talking softly amongst themselves while Renata was still by Martin's side. All regarded them as they passed by.

As soon as they were within the privacy of Julie's room, it was then Aro finally set her back down on her own two feet. Her room was small and barely big enough to house all the standard furniture needed in a bedroom. It made the Volturi King wrinkle his nose in disgust that his mate had to sleep in such a matchbox.

Julie was didn't want to see the look on Aro's face when she had finally let him into her room. She felt like she knew what he was thinking and was honestly ashamed that he had see it. She had a single bed situated directly below her window that faced the backyard. The blankets had been pushed back from the last time she had gotten out of bed with the pillows almost hanging off the edge of the mattress. The pillow covers, sheets and blankets were all varying shades of pink that she had slept in since childhood.

Why oh why did she not go out and get herself better looking bed covers?!

She blushed furiously and began to fumble about, trying to at least make her bed look more presentable to a Vampire King. Of course she knew how silly this exercise looked and it was only confirmed when Aro put it into words a few seconds later.

"What are you doing?" he said looking amused as he watched her stumble around her bed, tucking in the messy corners. "Aren't you tired?"

"What?" she replied stupidly and then it dawned on her what he was implying. It was going on 10 o'clock at night and she did need her rest. So why was she making her bed when she was going to turn in almost immediately? "Oh... well, I need to brush my teeth and get changed first anyway." Wow, she really was sounding like the biggest moron that ever existed at that moment. "Excuse me please." she dropped the blankets and hurried past Aro, spinning around before she went out the door, "Make yourself-" she paused but realised it was too late to save her ridiculous statement. What did she expect him to do to make himself comfortable in her room? Get naked and climb into bed? Vampires don't sleep! "-comfortable."

When she had disappeared out the door, Aro shook his head, a sympathetic smile gracing his pale lips before he turned his attention back to her room. He was drawn toward the dressing table that had all sorts of objects spread across the surface. Everything from hair ties to random cosmetics. He personally felt that Julie didn't need make up.

He remembered that Sulpicia had a particular fondness for make up although her Vampire beauty made it needless. Quite a bit of the Volturi fortune was spent on cosmetics for her alone, not that it even made a dent in it anyway. Budget was not in their vocabulary.

Aro then went straight for Julie's closet and found that she really was in dire need of clothing that was worthy to be worn by her. What she currently had on really was the best she had and it made him wonder if she usually made that much effort in her appearance if he wasn't around. He was flattered to think she was dressing up for him.

He _really did like_ those boots on her.

At the bottom of the closet, Aro found that they were not her only boots. She had an assortment of footwear that would have made his heart skip several beats if it wasn't frozen. While her actual clothing was casual and tomboyish, her shoes were the focus of her femininity. He picked up a particular pair of boots that were stark white and had a stiletto heel. Definitely something he believed most of the female members of his coven would have wet dreams over.

Him too for entirely different reasons.

A sudden thought came to mind about what she would look like with nothing but those boots on and he immediately dropped them.

Gods.

"Aro?"

The Vampire swiftly closed the doors to her wardrobe and spun his head around like a little boy caught doing something wrong. Julie approached him and glanced at the wardrobe before turning her attention back to him. She smiled sheepishly, "Probably wondering why I don't own a dress?"

"What? No-I mean, yes..." he was normally smooth and well versed in everything including his demeanour and speech but right now he was tripping over his own tongue. His previous musings about her boots still lingered in his mind and had somehow turned him into a bumbling idiot, "Yes, why don't you like wearing dresses?"

Julie shrugged and tilted her head to the side, her bashfulness rising another level, "I... don't look good in them. As you can see I'm clearly not the leggy type. I also find them uncomfortable and they make me feel overly paranoid. I can't help but feel around to make sure the wind isn't blowing up my skirt. Somehow I think I wouldn't look as good as Marilyn Monroe did in 'the Seven Year Itch'. You know, that blonde 1950s star-"

"Yes, I know who she is, mi amore." Aro replied, thankful that his trademark smooth as silk manner had made a reappearance. He leered at her slightly, "Personally I can picture you clearly in a flowing white dress with the skirt blowing up as you stood over an airvent. You would look _lovely_."

Julie made a face like she was sucking a lemon and shook her head, "Only in your mind, my Lord." She turned and then went for her chest of drawers to pull out a white shirt that was several sizes too large to which she used as a nightie.

"'My Lord'?" Aro repeated with a soft chuckle that made her knees weaken slightly. "Since when do you call me that?"

"Since when you told me _you_ were a _King_." Julie replied as she shrugged out of her jacket and draped it casually over the back of the chair at her dressing table.

"I am usually referred to as 'Master'."

"Yes, I know but I'm not going to call you that."

"Maybe not infront of other people but when we are in the privacy of our rooms back in the Castle-"

"Our rooms?"

"Of course. Unless you would rather your own private quarters?" Aro looked at her with apprehension dawning upon his perfectly chiseled features. Julie never felt more put on the spot as she did now. When Aro had expressed his intention to make her his next Queen, she didn't really give him an answer, infact she didn't have the chance to and had the impression that Aro had intended it that way. She could still feel his marble like lips on her neck, his teeth scraping over her throat like he was going to bite her and honestly she would have let him.

"Well... I'll need a bed." she began slowly as she sat herself down on the edge of her own bed to emphasize her point and began to pull off her boots. However she was having a bit of trouble doing so. They weren't zip ups, they were designed to be pull ons and were always a bugger to get off. "Aw crap!"

"Language, my Lady." Aro tutted as he bent down and took hold of one of her legs, "Here, allow me."

Julie leaned back onto her bed, propping herself up on her elbows with her left leg raised straight up as Aro yanked off her thigh high effortlessly. As soon as he did the same with her right, it was then she got back up. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Now turn around, please."

"Why?"

She blinked, cocking a brow quizzically, "You're right. Perhaps its better if you wait outside my door so I can change-"

"Let me know when you are finished." Aro turned around but didn't leave the room and Julie tried to suppress the little smirk that appeared on her face.

"Do you always have to be with me?" she asked him, pulling down her jeans as quickly as she could. It's not like she needed someone with her, not that she found his company unwanted either. It was more to the point that it made her feel like her personal space was being invaded. Although Aro seemed like the perfect gentleman, he was still a male and she had plenty of warning from her father about how sneaky they were. Being that he was a Vampire male made it worse, he possessed super speed but hoped she would be able to catch him out if he tried to look.

"I would prefer it, Julie." Aro replied in the most tender of tones.

She blinked, "What did you call me?"

"I called you 'Julie'. That is your name isn't it? At least the diminutive of it."

Julie didn't know how to take this sudden new development. Aro had always addressed her by her proper name even when she aggressively insisted once that he call her 'Julie'. She had grown accustomed to this and honestly liked the way he said her name. It was funny because she used to hate the sound of her full name until it was spoken by him. He had a way of making it sound _sexy_.

But then the way that Aro said everything was sexy and she knew it probably was due to him being a Vampire. They were designed to be irresistible in every way possible.

"Yes. Yes, it is." Gosh, she sounded pathetic.

"Do you not like it?"

"I'm fine with it. I just-You always used to call me 'Julianne'..."

"I figured seeing as you preferred the diminutive rather than the proper-"

"I don't mind. Seriously I don't."

"I like your full name better." he said , "It's a exquisite name for a Queen; Queen Julianne of the Volturi."

Julie bit down on her lower lip as she finished changing. It sounded strange to have her name mentioned in such a regal sounding context. She never really pictured herself as a Queen let alone being with a Vampire. Up until over a week ago, she was ignorant to the existence of such supernatural beings, believing that they were nothing but a fantasy.

"Okay, you can turn around now."

Aro turned around just in time to see Julie retreating towards her bed, the shirt she was wearing was showing off more leg than he had ever seen her in. The hem ended just below her posterior and he hissed at the tantalizing sight before she slipped under the blankets and reclined, resting her head against the pillows.

"What a liar, you are."

Julie shot her head back up and stared up at Aro as he approached her bedside and she sat up defensively. "I never lied to you!"

"You implied that your legs were unsightly and yet..." the next thing Julie knew, her sheets and blankets were ripped clean off her body exposing her said limbs. A wintry hand began to slide up her right leg, fingers stroking over her skin making her face turn red. Aro smirked at her reaction, his fingers slowly moving higher and higher, "they are quite divine. Very shapely." his fingers paused where the hem had been riding up her thighs from her position. Her hand had grabbed hold of his wrist to stop him from going any further but she may as well be trying to shift a giant boulder up a steep hill.

"Aro... please..." she gasped, biting her lower lip. She was ashamed to admit that what Aro was doing felt good and the temptation to allow him to continue was very strong. He was so close to her again, his face inches away from her own and his eyes darkening once more. His scent made her feel slightly dizzy and fed the flame that had been reignited from the last time in the Diner. The girl was quickly becoming a quivering mess and the Volturi King's smirk widened mischievously at his handy work. The way she said his name in such whispered abandon, it made him want take her right then and there.

However he withdrew his hand making her whimper at the loss of contact. She moved towards him slightly before she came to her senses and slid back. It was like she had been possessed the way she was gravitating to him. Or maybe it was more that she had been starved for the kind of affection that Aro was so willingly offering to her. She had the distinct feeling that she was getting her comeuppance for rejecting him repeatedly before.

"That was alittle preview. We'll do the rest when we return home." Aro husked against her cheek before planting a brief, gentle kiss. "Until then, I bid you a goodnight, mia coniglietto." The blankets were suddenly back upon her body and she was being laid down. As soon as her head hit the pillow she began to feel very sleepy indeed. She forced herself to keep her eyes open alittle longer when she saw that Aro had returned to his position by her bed, standing upright and gazing down at her, his eyes still a shade darker than usual.

"Are you going to stand there all night?"

"All night."

"Won't you get bored or tired?"

"No."

"So you are just going to watch me sleep?"

Aro nodded and Julie frowned.

"That's a bit... creepy."

"Some ladies may think it's romantic."

"Maybe but it's still a bit weird. I'm not going to be all that entertaining to watch."

"Are you inviting me into bed?"

"If you can fit." she turned her back to him and scooted over until she was pushed up against the edge of her bed but not enough to fall over. It left a suitable amount of space behind her so both of them would fit but Aro would have to be pressed right up against her back.

Oh the temptation.

"Are you-?"

"Well, I'm not going to have you standing there all night long. It's rude for one thing and if you are going to insist on being with me _all the time_, you may as well get into bed with me too."

Aro didn't need anymore convincing, in a blink of an eye he was lying next to her, spooning her intimately underneath her blankets with his arms wrapped around her tiny waist. Her scent filled his nostrils and his mouth began to fill with venom. Gods, she smelled so good. So young, so fresh and succulent.

But the temptation to feed on her was outweighed by another longing need that originated from his slavish male desires. He was in bed with the one he came to yearn for more than anyone or anything else that he ever known. They were physically closer than they had ever been before and every instinct within his being was screaming for release.

"Do you promise we won't do anything?" Julie said sleepily, her body adjusting to the sensation of having someone snuggled up so close to her. Somehow it felt good to not be alone in her bed anymore.

"Perhaps." Aro replied truthfully because right now he felt like he was always just one breath away from losing control. His mouth was pressed into the back of her neck as he spoke and the girl quivered again from the additional sense of intimacy. But he also reminded himself that he was not a hormonal teenage boy, he was a grown man and had the capacity to keep full control of his faculties. There was no excuse for him to surrender to his primal urges just because he happened to be lying in bed with a young, virginal female who was his destined mate - damn that Marcus!

"Aro?"

"I promise. We won't do anything. Tonight."

* * *

During the night Julie had to turn around and she was now wrapped up in Aro's arms, her head resting against his chest and hugging his middle warmly. It was torturous for him, especially when she would moan every now and again and in his mind he translated them to more erotic natures. Was he really that hard up in his old age?

To combat this, he tried to distract himself by losing himself in thoughts that were as non-sexual as he could recall. It was no surprise to him that he was brought back to the time when he first met Isabella Swan - the first mental shield he came into contact with. The next thing he knew, he was thinking of himself in the place of Edward and Julie in the place of Isabella.

At the time it mystified him as to how a Vampire could have that sort of relationship with a mere human. Her blood appealed to Edward so and he really didn't know how he could stand to be so close to her. The similarities between their situations were becoming painfully obvious and he was becoming convinced that the Gods had fashioned him a mate like Julie to teach him a lesson. She had been in a similar situation, Kurt had been trying to protect her from Aro and his brothers who originally came to dispose of them both.

But then he saw Julie in Kurt's mind and his constant thoughts of confusing her with Sera, his dead daughter. The informer that came to them was the Vampire that had attacked Julie a couple of days prior. Kurt was known to him but also, so was Sera and he was constantly confused the two in his mind as well.

When he did his own personal comparisons, he obviously found Julie to be a far more pleasing version. Yes, Sera and Julie looked very much alike but he could just tell which was which. Sera didn't make him feel the way he felt about Julie and in the minds of Kurt and the informer, they continually made them seem one person. Confusion in the mind was disrupting for his perception and ability to calculate a person hence why he insisted on meeting her himself.

As soon as his crimson hues locked onto her chocolate browns, he suddenly felt compelled to have her. Not just for his guard but all for himself... and he didn't have the faintest idea as to why. Knowing that he couldn't read her mind only sweetened the deal and could be used as a front as to why he chose to spare her.

At the time, showing that sort of weakness was not acceptable. Now, he didn't give a damn.

* * *

"How long does it usually take?"

"About three days."

"I'm of course assuming that it is painful?"

"Like you are constantly being consumed by fire. People usually pass out during the transformation because they can't handle the stress."

"What will he be like once it's complete? He'll still be the same, right?"

"Hard to say. Usually newborns are out of control and are pretty violent once they awaken due to the bloodlust. But it's not unheard of for a newborn to be tame."

Julie and Aro were sitting under the shade of a tree in Norwood Park at one of the picnic tables that were dotted here and there around the vast expanse of greenery. It was cloudy again but at least it wasn't raining. The ground was too moist for them to sit on the grass so they lounged about on the hardwood table top covered in random graffiti. Today she was wearing another pair of boots, black which was decorated in tiny crystal shards around the top and the ankle. They were flats this time, complimenting the black leggings she wore with a red shirt that almost matched the shade of Aro's eyes if he wasn't wearing contacts.

"Traditionally, isn't Australia supposed to be hot and sunny all the time?" Aro said changing the subject as he looked up at the grey sky, he was grateful for the cover but at the same time felt cheated. Plus he liked the look of awe that washed over her features when Julie had seen his skin shimmer and wouldn't mind showing her again. They were the only ones in the park that day so there really wasn't any danger of exposure to others.

Julie snorted, "We do have our off days but Norwood seems to be the capital for dull and boring. We have more than our fair share of cold and cloudy weather. It's offensive, really."

Just like Forks, Aro thought with a slight frown. What is this? A parallel Universe?

"You hate it here?"

"I'm neither one way or the other. As long as no one tries to bother me."

"So, you're a hermit?"

"Oh yes. Can't you tell?" Julie cocked her head to the side and smiled crookedly at him. It was Aro's turn to snort.

"But you seem so-"

"So what?"

"Like the type that everyone loves."

Julie sighed at his and looked down at the ground, "Why do you say that?"

"Well, you're obviously a very interesting, amusing and attractive young lady. You must be beating gentlemen callers off daily."

Julie looked disgusted at the thought, clearly not believing him, "Sure, whatever. I know the type and I hate them."

"Hate them?"

"They were the sort of people that made me feel like I was garbage when I was going to school."

Aro pursed his lips together, time to change the subject again, "Have you given more thought to you being changed, cara mia?"

Julie took a deep breath and hugged her knees to her chest, "May I at least get to choose when I become a Vampire?"

"Make it soon."

"How soon?"

"As soon as you turn 21 at the most."

"But that's only six month away!" Julie gasped, looking scandalized.

"It's still a generous amount of time to remain human. Especially seeing as the boundaries are already stretched as it is and the situation is quickly becoming urgent."

"I'm sorry to be such an inconvenience."

"Now that's not fair, mi amore. You know what I meant."

"For arguments sake, let's say I don't. Why so urgent?"

And that was the difference between Julie and Isabella. From what Aro saw in both Edward's and Alice's minds, the girl had been very eager to become like them. However Julie seemed to be as stubborn as an Ox, although she wasn't rejecting the idea outright anymore. She acknowledged acceptance of her fate to become a Vampire but she was still reluctant.

"You have a Vampire doppelganger that tried to kill your father. I wouldn't put it past her to come after you next for whatever reason it maybe. You would obviously fair alot better as a Vampire than a very breakable human-"

"If memory serves me correctly, Vampires are not exactly invincible themselves." the little human retorted. Although she had not seen Kurt's head roll, she still heard it and that was graphic enough for her. "What if I became a Vampire and my doppelganger managed to tear my head off?"

"I would never let that happen to you!" Aro snarled, angry at such a thought. It was painful enough to imagine let alone know it was a possibility. He would be more than capable of protecting Julie from some cheap imitation of her. It was precisely the reason why he and Caius had their wives confined to the tower to avoid ending up like Marcus.

But then again if such a plan was effective, Sulpicia would still be alive and everything would be different. Or would it?

Aro had never been the one woman type prior to Julie. He had many affairs through out his endless existence and being married certainly didn't slow him down. If anything it only made his sexual indiscretions all the more frequent. He was what the modern generation would refer to as a 'player' and enjoyed the company of women; human and Vampire.

It was, needless to say, one of the major factors that contributed to Sulpicia's death.

Sulpicia somehow escaped the tower, seeked out the Romanians and surrendered herself to death. The humiliation of being forever bound to a man who wasn't even faithful depressed her so much that not even Corin's gift to enforce contentment did little to comfort her.

To subject Julie to the same kind of treatment that he put Sulpicia through did strike him as a thought that left him feeling thoroughly repulsed. He could never be with another woman if Julie was entirely his. Again, she wasn't the drop dead gorgeous Goddess that was the standard with females of his own species but she was still very desirable. She challenged him and had that sort of unobtainable charm that he couldn't resist. She didn't give into him easily but there was interest there behind her nonchalant facade.

"Aro?"

Wow, his habit of losing himself so deep in his thoughts really had to stop.

"Mm?"

"Where did you go off to? The Moon?" Julie was smiling slightly at him, her hand touching his arm. She was sitting closer to him and despite her smile, Aro didn't miss the concerned edge in her voice. Her dark gaze searched his features, "I thought I lost you there. Didn't you hear what I just said?"

"Please forgive me, amata. What did you say?"

"I just said it was very sweet of you to want to be so protective. Especially when we have only known each other for a couple of days."

Aro responded by leaning in very close to her, his nose almost touching hers. To his delight, she didn't flinch like she usually would. She just sat there, frozen on the spot, "I would protect you with my life. Whether our association was for many years or a mere second, I would never ever allow harm to come to you. Never."

* * *

Main Street was most alive around Lunchtime and Aro had once again taken Julie there to get her something to eat. The Limo was no longer at their disposal for they surpassed the time they originally agreed to hire it and had left them last night to fulfil other appointments so a common taxi had to do. First, Julie insisted on getting new copies of her cards that she had lost in the fire and so went up to the bank acquire her account and credit card before moving onto the RTA to regain her driver's licence.

"Why bothering getting a new credit card, cara mia? You won't need them for long, we'll be leaving once your father has been turned!" Aro had muttered to her in slight annoyance as the Teller handed over her shiny, plastic keycard to her funds. "And if you needed money, I would have been happy-"

"Hell, no!" Julie had shot back in a whisper, "I'm not helpless, Aro. I'm a totally independent person. I don't need a Sugar Daddy to take care of me."

"'Sugar Daddy'?"

"A rich man - usually an older one in his 60s and upwards - who caters to a young bimbo - usually platinum blonde in her 20s or younger - financially. She is only with him for the money while the poor old bugger thinks it's for love. Look up a bloke named Hugh Hefner sometime... now there is a poor old bugger that never learns." Julie rolled her eyes as they left the bank. Aro smirked down at her.

"What would you think if _I_ wanted to be _your_ 'Sugar Daddy' in a manner of speaking?"

Julie paused and glared up at him, "Piss off!"

"Just hear me out, mi amore - by the way; language!" he wagged a finger at her disapprovingly, "I did away with your Boss, correct?"

Julie pursed her lips together, not sure where he was going with this and why he was bringing up such a painful subject, "Yes."

"I burnt down your place of business and took you away against your will, correct?"

"Yes."

"Then, my dear Queen-to-be, it is perfectly plausible for you to get revenge by taking full advantage of my vast wealth for your own personal gain." he nodded, confident that he had won the argument. It wasn't as if Julie could ever drain him dry of his funds anyway. He grew bored of his money a very long time ago and because of their many successful investments and ways of inquiring more with little to no effort, he really had nothing to worry about. "Besides, haven't you heard of the term, 'what's mine is yours and what's yours is mine'?"

Julie bit her lowerlip, already tired of Aro's ridiculous logic. They weren't even married yet and if she wanted revenge on him, spending his money was not the way she would have chosen to do it. Killing Aro had never crossed her mind and now that she thought of it, she hoped it never will again. Aro being dead made her insides contract painfully.

"I'm paying my own way."

After lunch they stopped off at a local clothing store upon Aro's insistence. He had persuaded her to at least look at some dresses for her to wear when they got back to the Castle. It was small establishment just on the corner with modern women's fashions displayed on outdated dummies in the windows. The interior was fairly cramped, the racks arranged too close together to allow free movement. The sight of Julie within the store got the most astounding reaction from the shop owner. Meanwhile it made Aro apprehensive and it clearly showed, moving closer to Julie protectively as they were approached.

"Is that you, Julie?!" a portly, older woman in her early fifties hurried over to the little human beside the Vampire as soon as they walked through the door. She was looking at the girl as if she was surprised that world really was round. "I don't believe it!"

"Of course it's me, Rosie." Julie replied with a slight air of embarrassment. She looked down at herself, checking her clothing for any imperfections before raising a hand to comb through her long, dark locks sheepishly. "What's the matter?"

"Weren't you at work when the old NEO Tech building was burned down?"

"No!" Aro cut in, taking hold of Julie's hand and started tugging her towards the exit, "As a matter of fact, she wasn't." he looked down at Julie, "Let's go somewhere else."

"Wait a minute!" the woman named Rosie took hold of her other hand and pulled her back, "Haven't you seen the paper or at least the news last night?"

"No, why?"

"Everyone thinks you're dead! The news clearly said there were no survivors and I remembered your father once mentioning that you worked there." she glanced up at Aro who looked very rigid now as it dawned upon him why people were staring at the Diner. It wasn't because of him being a stranger in their town, it was more because of Julie. Her picture must have been in the paper and in his haste to get rid of it yesterday, he didn't bother looking at it properly. All he saw the the headline containing the words 'NEO Tech', 'fire' and skimming the first paragraph about it being treated as suspicious, "Who are you?"

That was Rosie, a real Master of sublty. Not.

"This is Aro." Julie interjected looking up at Aro, the concern had reentered her voice and being coupled with hearing what was being said about her, she was definitely winded. "He's-"

"Her fiancée." that self satisfied smirk of his had returned as he bent to kiss Julie's forehead for added effect. Right on cue, Julie went completely red as she glanced up at Aro with a look that clearly said, 'What the hell?!'

Yes, Aro had made his intentions clear to her on a number of occasions but she never knew he would go as far as to thrust it upon outsiders. As long as it was only between them, she could brush it off or pretend it never happened, but now he was taking it too far. It suddenly felt very real and very serious, like she now had no say when it came to her marital status. Honestly, this made her quite angry.

Before she could open her mouth, Rosie had intervened, "Oh pity! Not that I'm not pleased to hear such good news, it's better than you being dead after all - but I was hoping to fix you up with a new employee of mine. He looks like he would be your type, Julie!" And at that she turned her head to hollar towards the back of the store, making some of the other customers stare, "Stephen!"

A very tall, slender looking man with a mop of messy, dark blonde hair, pale complexion and wearing thick rimmed glasses turned his head upon hearing his name. He was very good looking in a endearingly dorky sort of manner and Aro could definitely see way Rosie thought he was more Julie's style. He was very casual in his attire, wearing a red plaid shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows and dark denim pants that highlighted his long legs. He was a human giraffe if the Vampire had ever seen one except that his neatly trimmed facial hair gave off a more bearish look.

He sauntered over to them, putting down the jackets onto the counter that he had been arranging on the racks as he went. As he came closer, the scent of him hit Aro like a slap in the face, but it wasn't that of a human.

It was a Vampire.

Aro's expression grew dark, almost feral-like as his lavender gaze stared up into Stephen's eyes. They were dark but they were of not of thirst, it was because of the brown contact lenses he was wearing. Why he bothered wearing glasses as well was beyond his comprehension. Becoming a Vampire instantly cured whatever ailments one had as a human, including poor eyesight.

Julie was looking Stephen up and down, he was almost twice her size but came off as the gentle giant type. He was flashing her a very friendly smile, showing off his perfectly aligned, sparkling white teeth. Rosie was looking from Julie to Stephen and back again, confirming her hypothesis as she observed the two. They already looked like the perfect match to her.

"Julie, this is Stephen. Stephen, this is Julie." Rosie lightly whacked his arm to get his attention to which he politely obliged by sliding his gaze down towards her, "She's the one I was telling you about."

"Oh! So she is the one?" Stephen said unnecessarily, grinning back over at Julie in what Aro could only described as looking like child with a new exciting toy. "I have to hand it to you, Rosie. She is very attractive."

"Julie," Rosie winked over at the girl, clearly disregarding Aro's presence completely, "Stephen is from England and he is also a Doctor Who fan!" And at that she bustled off to serve a customer who was waiting with an armful of merchandise at the counter.

Julie felt incredibly awkward, she had to crane her to look at him in the face as well as step back alittle to keep a sort of respectable distance between them. She was suddenly very grateful to have Aro beside her although he came up to just below Stephen's chin. "Oh, really?"

"Well, more of the classic fan than the modern." Stephen corrected, the awkwardness was suddenly mirrored on his face. His gaze than slid over to Aro who was now pressed up against Julie's side. He had let go of her hand and instead wrapped his arm possessively around her waist.

Julie winced from the tight grip that the Volturi King had on her, "This is-"

"Aro Volturi; Julie's fiacée." he was being sickly sweet, in a kill-them-with-kindness sort of way.

Stephen didn't look fazed at all, instead his lip curled arrogantly, "Of course you are." he replied smoothly before returning his admiring gaze back to Julie, "All the good ones are always taken." he then held out his hand to shake Aro's, "Stephen Jouissance."

Aro flinched before uncoiling his arm from Julie's body and taking hold of Stephen's hand, his own lip curling, "A pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise." Stephen let go of Aro's hand and nodded curtly to Julie, "It was lovely to meet you, Miss Lawson." and then he turned and left, Aro seized this opportunity to practically drag his 'fiancée' out the door.

"Hey! What's the big idea?"

"You know how I said that 'Curtis' was actually Kurt? Just with a similar sounding name."

"What's your point exactly?" Julie huffed impatiently trying to wrench her arm out of Aro's grip but to no avail. For a well to do man, he was acting very barbaric at the moment. She was very eager to leave anyway and would have all on her own. She didn't need to be pulled out like she was some unwelcome guest at a exclusive night club.

"Needless to say that 'Johnstone' wasn't really his name either but a play on his real surname."

"And what was that?"

"'Jouissance'."


	12. Chapter 12

Stephen Joissance glared after Aro as he and Julie headed towards another clothing store across the street. He had been half hoping that the Volturi had killed her when they killed Kurt. It would have been a far more merciful fate compared to whatever it was Aro had in store for her. He didn't believe for a second that the raven-haired Vampire had a genuine romantic interest in her, he was convinced that she would most likely become his next meal.

She did smells incredibly delicious.

But what surprised him the most was that Kurt wasn't exaggerating at all. Julie was a dead ringer for Sera, his former fiancée.

* * *

"Stephen was arranged to be married to Sera." Aro went on as he surveyed the clothing on display. The dresses that this shop had on offer were decent enough but he didn't blame the look of disinterest on Julie's face when she saw them. The skirts didn't win her approval either. They looked somewhat harlotish, although Aro showed particular favour for the plaid mini skirts. "Kurt turned him into a Vampire a few years after he was turned himself and they traveled out of Austria as a Coven. He took on the name 'Jouissance' to show his loyalty to Kurt. His original surname was 'Cavanagh'." he held up one of the mini skirts that looked to be Julie's size and showed it to her, silently asking for her opinion.

Julie shook her head at the skirt, "I have never seen him before. Kurt has never mentioned him. Is there a reason why?"

Aro didn't put the skirt back, instead he draped it over his arm and began moving towards the other racks of clothing. Julie frowned after him, why ask for her opinion when he wasn't going to listen anyway? "Stephen decided to go off on his own for a while. They have been together for quite a few centuries so he wanted some time alone. He was tired of Kurt's obsession with his dead daughter and although he missed her too, Stephen wanted a chance to get over her. They parted on very good terms."

"So why is he here now?" Julie caught up with Aro and tried to tug the skirt off his arm to return it. Aro's nostrils flared as he snatched it back out of her hand.

"Kurt sent for him the day before we turned up to execute him. He intended for Stephen to take you away and turn you because he couldn't bring himself to do it. He wanted you to live a normal human life but seeing as we were on our way, turning you was his only option." he moved towards the ladies blouses and fingered a white, long sleeved style. "When he didn't show up, Stephen came to NEO Tech looking for him just after we left."

"So why has he taken up a job at Rosie's store? Kurt had obviously passed away and everyone thought I was dead so why stay?" She came to stand beside him and shook her head at the long sleeve, pointing over at a short sleeve version.

"Because he wanted revenge. He already lost his intended and now his bestfriend. He knew there was an informer that tipped us off about Kurt and was hoping he would return to the scene to make sure that we took care of business-"

"Who told you about me and Kurt?" Julie was curious to know who would rat out on them and why. She never really talked to anyone in Norwood. Yes, Rosie was overly familiar with her but she tended to be that way about everyone. She was the town gossip and pretty much stuck her nose into everyone's business.

"The Vampire that attacked you."

"But why would he tell on us?"

"He wanted to be part of the Volturi and would do anything to make us show favour towards him. It's not unusual. There are alot of people who want to join us but can't." Aro smirked down at Julie, "You should feel privileged that one of the Volturi Kings wants you so badly."

Julie bit her lip and jerked her eyebrows upwards in a 'whatever' gesture but couldn't hold back the little smile that pulled annoyingly at her lips. She turned her head away shyly before saying, "Is he still around?"

"Not according to what I saw in Stephen's mind because he was right, the informer did return and he killed him." Aro's smirk widened, that was the only thing he liked about Stephen. He saved him the trouble of hunting down and killing the informer himself for daring to lay a violent hand on his mate. "Now he's just mourning the loss of Kurt until he saw you." he picked up the blouse that Julie liked and it joined the skirt on his arm. "He's going to try to persuade you out of my company." He looked over at Julie to observe her reaction to this and to his relief she looked liked she wasn't particularly fond of the idea either.

"Oh marvelous, another idiot who wants me to relive their fantasy!" she ground out sourly, she really was beginning to dislike Sera very much. It seemed as though everyone was comparing her to this deceased individual and she didn't appreciate being forced to satisfy an illusion. Being so fed up with the situation, Julie turned on her heel and marched out of the store to cool down.

As she waited outside for Aro to finish shopping, the tooting of a car horn tore her out of her heated solitude. Julie looked up to see a flashy red Volkswagen Amarok pull up infront of her, the driver's window wheeled down smoothly to reveal the face of Stephen. He gave her a celebrity standard smile that would have made the likes of Tom Cruise die with jealousy, "Hello, little lady. May I offer you a lift?" he revved up the motor to entice her but all he got was a hard stare.

"Do I look like a motor car groupie to you?" she spat folding her arms and turning her nose up at him. Stephen snorted.

"I never thought you were. You don't look like-"

"No. I don't. But I know exactly what or who I look like to you." Julie stalked over to him, "Your dead fiancée!"

Stephen, again didn't look fazed at all. Instead he tilted his head to the side like a puppy dog in wonder, "Now that's a bit below the belt, love. I was only asking if I could give you a ride home seeing as I don't see your husband-to-be's horse and buggy around."

"Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"I'm on my break."

"This is a very flashy dual cab for a shop boy's salary."

"I do it to fill time. I'm actually independently wealthy."

"And you think that's going to impress me?"

"Well, I may not be as rich as Mr. Italian in there but I can assure you, I would make a far better prospective husband for you. For one thing I'll always have a way of making sure you don't have to walk anywhere..." he revved up the engine of his Amarok to underline his point, "And I'm the one woman type."

"Meaning?"

"Granted I don't know him personally but the kind of stories I've heard about him... they'll make your ears blush."

Julie scowled at him, how could Kurt ever have been friends with Stephen? The man was so arrogant and stuck up, a stark contrast to the warm kindness and modesty that his brunette counterpart was remembered for. She also knew what it was like for people to talk behind one's back, the bullies enjoyed making up false rumours about her in school and it only made her loathe Stephen for acting just like them about Aro.

"Piss off." she whispered to him, her voice filled with all the hatred she had felt for the bullies she knew back then. Her dark eyes seemingly darkening a shade as she backed away from him.

The smile was instantly wiped off Stephen's face, his shoulders slumped and gazed over at Julie with a look that instantly made her feel bad. But why the hell should she feel bad about someone who was talking trash about Aro? Yes, Aro wasn't exactly a Saint but she felt protective of him none the less.

Speak of the Devil, Aro emerged from the shop carrying a singular, white shopping bag with the logo of the store stamped across it in black ink. He held out the bag for Julie to take in which she immediately did, thankful she had an excuse to walk away from Stephen. The raven-haired male had seen the blonde but ignored him, placing his arm around Julie's shoulders and hugged her against his side.

"Come, cara mia. Let's go buy a Car." he then lead her off down the street leaving Stephen to watch them go listlessly.

"Don't get a Volkswagen. They suck." Julie murmured against him, her own arm coming around to hug his middle.

* * *

Aro had heard every word of Julie's heated exchange with Stephen and it both made him happy and angry. Happy that his little human was loyal to him despite Rosie's opinion of their compatibility between her and the blonde. And angry about Stephen's implication that he couldn't cater to her basic needs such as reliable transport.

He'll show that giftless, farm boy wannabe Vampire who would be the better husband!

"Which one do you like?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"You'll be riding around in it."

"Yeah but you'll be driving it-wait, do you know how to drive?"

"Do I want you to be my Queen?"

Julie closed her mouth, being so old fashioned she just assumed that Aro would find the prospect of driving himself around instead of being chauffeured a bit below him. However he moved around the car yard like he was very accustomed to shopping for a vehicle of his own. He lead her around by the hand, surveying the models the dealership had available but hadn't come to a decision.

"If I knew you drove, we could have used my Dad's car-"

Aro scoffed, "That beat up old-?"

"Hey! That 1990 Nissan Navara Dual Cab is beautiful! My Dad promised it to me once he passes away." Julie interrupted looking very indignant.

"Well, considering he's going to become one of us, that may not be for a very long time." Aro smiled apologetically over at her, "So I may as well buy you your very own."

"Don't you dare-"

"Alas, I want to."

"Don't!"

"Service!" Aro clicked his fingers at a salesman who had been standing a few metres away, observing them with much eagerness. He hurried over to them with a spring in his step.

"Can I help you, sir?" he inquired in a very polished, professional manner.

"I don't know, " Aro raised a brow at him, not at all affected by his professionalism, "_Can_ you help me?"

The salesman went red, realising his grammatical error before clearing his throat quickly and starting again, "I'm sorry, sir. _May_ I help you?"

Aro shook his head slightly in minor annoyance before he continued, "I would like to look at your Dual Cabs. Preferably a Nissan Navara?"

"Certainly, sir!" and at that the young man lead the way towards the section of the yard where all the truck models were on display. All the while Julie was yanking on Aro's hand in protest, shaking her head feverishly. "We have a top of the range luxury 2014 Nissan Navara on offer which is incidentally on sale!"

They came to stand before a very impressive looking black Dual Cab that would have made her father salivate in ecstasy. Julie's heart leapt at the sight of it, "Wow..."

"Superb, isn't it?" the salesman grinned at Julie's look of awe. It was the look that all salesmen strives to see on their customer's faces. It signaled a likely sale. "A snip at $63,000, marked down from $72,000."

The look of desire instantly disappeared from Julie's face when she heard the price and she shrunk away, severely deflated. Of course it was expensive! No car that looked that good was ever in her price range. She looked up at Aro and resumed tugging his hand so they could leave, "It's okay, Aro. I don't need a car."

"But you like it, don't you, mi amore?" Aro pulled her back towards him, wrapping his arms around her and pressing his ice cold lips to her forehead in a seductive kiss. "Just say 'yes' and it's yours..."

"I can't..." she gasped, as an intense wave of heat assaulted her petite form from how close and intimate Aro was being with her.

The Vampire nuzzled her cheek lovingly, "Say 'yes'!"

"Aro..."

"It's only $63,000."

"But..."

"I killed your Boss, took away your livelihood and kidnapped you. Now, _Get... me... back_!" he husked sensuously, completely ignoring the stunned salesman who was uncomfortably watching the scene, "Make me pay. Mi fanno pagare. Per favore." _(Make me pay. Please.)_

Her knees were now threatening to give way when he began belting out Italian to woo her into getting his way. She whimpered, her eyes half-lidded as gazed up at him, "Please..."

"I was such a bastard... doing those things to you. I should have at least asked - nay, begged you on my hands and knees to come away with me to Italy." he hissed softly, his hands beginning to drift down her back towards her shapely rear, "Surrender, mio amore. Mi permetta di essere il tuo papà zucchero." _(Let me be your Sugar Daddy)_ he began to chuckle darkly, inhaling her scent deeply and luxuriating in her weakening squirms. Damn it, he'll get his way this time! "Please, Julianne. It'll make me very happy. Quando sei felice, io sono felice." _(When you're happy, I'm happy.)_

"A-Aro-"

"Punirmi!" _(Punish me!)_

Julie bit her lower lip, her mind was like scrambled eggs. Messed up beyond sense because of Aro. He was taking full advantage of his Vampire abilities to make himself incredibly attractive and persuasive to his victim. She moaned softly when he kissed the corner of her mouth before she then finally nodded dizzily, "Si." _(Yes.)_

Aro teasingly scraped his teeth lightly along her neck, making her quiver, "Yes?"

"Yes."

Aro grinned deviously against her jugular, "Mmm... At last!"

She finally said 'yes' to him. Part of his power had been reinstated.


	13. Chapter 13

It was the next morning when there was a knock on the door that disturbed the activity in the Lawson residence. It was the third day and Martin Lawson was due to finish his transformation very soon. He was looking much younger and more handsome than he ever did in his human life and Renata marveled at his changes with excitement. She had never created a Vampire before and she felt a sense of pride that her vemon had achieved such a masterpiece in her mate.

Julie had shown her a photograph of Martin late last afternoon. He was in his mid to late thirties as a Colonel in the Australian Army and Renata swooned over it. He looked very dashing in his uniform and from the look on the Vampiress' face, Julie could see the kind of adoration that was absent on her mother's. Renata genuinely cared for her father and from the look of things, she was going to lose him after all.

She was sitting on the lounge with Aro watching Doctor Who upon his insistence because in his words, "I want to see what all the fuss is about." The episode that she had put on was one coming from the First Doctor era called 'The Dalek Invasion of Earth'. It was a new DVD she had just bought but didn't get a chance to watch until now.

Afton was outside admiring Julie's new Dual Cab in the backyard while talking on the cordless, readying the Private Jet for departure at short notice. Jane and Alec were sitting on the floor, watching the television with them. Both of them laughed at how ridiculous the Daleks looked and sounded and kept asking questions like, "What did he say? Which one's the Doctor again? How is the TARDIS bigger on the inside then it is on the out?"

When the episode was over with the famous theme tune blared from the television, Julie switched it off and turned to Aro. "So, what did you think?"

Aro shrugged, "It was good."

"Didn't you like it?"

"It was good." he repeated looking over at Julie with a small smile, "Isn't that enough?"

Afton had come in to answer the door for them. Whistling the Doctor Who theme before coming back into the lounge room followed by a tall, pale, blonde man. Upon seeing Stephen, Aro jumped up from where he sat, "What's he doing here?!"

Julie had gotten up also and took hold of Aro's arm with both hands, suddenly afraid that a fight may break out between them. She was well aware that she wouldn't be able to physically stop him if he really wanted to but she hoped that the gesture would be enough. Jane and Alec were suddenly at their sides, ready to strike at their Master's command, "Please... don't..."

"Relax. I'm here to see Julie about a legal matter." his eyes, now golden and glasses free, strayed over to the said human and he smiled over at her, "Don't worry, nobody is suing anyone."

"Then what kind of legal matter is it supposed to be?" she asked, noting that Aro's posture didn't relax one muscle, if only it intensified when Stephen dared a gaze at her. She rubbed his arm soothingly, "Aro, please..."

"It's about Kurt's - alias; Curtis Johnstone's Will." he replied walking by them and sitting himself down upon the sofa that Julie and Aro had previously occupied. He waved at the two empty spaces beside him, "Shall we?" he held up an envelope in his other hand, eager to get the show on the road.

Aro seated himself down directly in the middle so Julie and Stephen were kept apart, a tactic that Julie wasn't oblivious to at all and was grateful for. Alec and Jane remained standing and Afton came to stand beside them. Once everyone was settled, it was then Stephen opened the envelope and began to read;

_I, Curtis Johnstone hereby leave everything I have to Miss Julianne Lawson._

There was a very pregnant pause to which everyone exchanged looks of shock. No one looked more surprised than Julie and she kept waiting for someone to start laughing and say it was all a joke. However none such came and she looked down at the floor completely overcome with bewilderment.

Kurt had left everything to her? Why?

"A letter personally addressed to Julie was enclosed with this Will." Stephen took another envelope out of his inside jacket pocket and handed it to Aro who passed it onto Julie. It took her a moment or two to register what she was supposed to do before she opened it slowly. She vaguely noticed that the letter was dated the day before Kurt died. She didn't dwell on it for too long because she felt like crying when she began to read the letter it's self.

_To my dearest Julie,_

_I know you must be shocked to find out that you are the sole heir to my fortune but please allow me explain._

_I'm not only a Vampire, I am also a father. A father that lost his child and I have been mourning her loss for over 900 years. Not a single day goes by that I don't miss her and wish I did more to take care of her. Then I met you and it was like being forgiven for my failure to protect her. I was finally granted mercy in the form of a second chance. Your presence in my life has made me happier than I have ever been in a very long time and it means more than words could ever express._

_Please accept this inheritance as my way of saying thank you for giving my daughter back to me. I hope that if she were still alive, that she would have been just like you. You are a lovely young lady who is warm, considerate and not to mention vastly intelligent for someone who never finished High School. Your father is a lucky man to have you and I daresay so will your future husband!_

_Goodbye, sweetheart. Be happy!_

_Yours faithfully,_

_Curtis Johnstone_

Julie dropped the letter and began to weep uncontrollably as she rushed out of the room and straight into her bedroom. She collapsed onto her bed and cried in earnest, letting it all out in a frenzy of despair. So Kurt really did appreciate her for herself and not just because she reminded him of Sera.

Back in the lounge room, Aro picked up the fallen letter, read it and was suddenly shaking in jealous fury. Even in death, that self righteous, law breaking fool had trumped him and if there was something he truly hated, it was to be made to feel second best. Because of what Kurt had provided for Julie in his last Will, his own deeds now seemed insignificant in comparison. From now on, no matter what he did for Julie, he would never be able to measure up to the generousity of the deceased Master Strategist. Kurt will continuously outshine him although he was no longer alive to bask in his victory.

Stephen had the most insufferably smug look on his face as if he had read his mind, "You lose, Volturi." he muttered, leaning back leisurely in his seat looking supremely satisfied, "You can't compete with a dead man."

Aro threw a sharp look over at Stephen and for a moment, he could almost see a manifestation of Kurt standing behind the blonde. He was looking down at the Volturi King with a triumphant grin on his infinitely handsome face, "And that's why I am _the Strategist_," he was sneering, his golden eyes twinkling in his own imposed superiority, "I will always win! No matter what you do. I. WIll. Always. Win!"

_You planned this all along, didn't you?!_ Aro wanted to shout at him in shrill anger,_ To keep from me what is rightfully mine!_

Kurt was laughing at him now, "Am I that transparent?"

Aro stood up slowly but before he could leave, Stephen held out Kurt's Will for Aro to take, "Tell that dear girl that her inheritance should be transferred into her account tomorrow. Attached to that Will is the deeds to his house, the NEO Tech company building as well as a list of everything else that now belongs to her. NEO Tech was completely insured and are now awaiting her authorisation to rebuild or give a pay out." Once Aro took the Will from the blonde will a swift snatch, it was then Stephen brushed past him and headed towards the front door. He then turned to face the Volturi clan who were now all staring daggers at him. His face twisted into a grimace, "By the way. _Nissan sucks_."

* * *

Julie continued to cry softly into her pillow, her entire being racking from the impact of her sobs. Kurt did care about her after all. He could tell the difference between her and Sera despite what Aro had told her;

Whenever Kurt looks at you, he only sees the child he lost.

Why would Aro lie? Was he really that insecure about himself that he had to trash Kurt to make killing him justifiable? What does he hope to achieve? Was he really that desperate to have her 'gift' at his disposal?

_You should feel previleged that one of the Volturi Kings wants you so badly._

But why? Why does he have to do all of this? Does he have no heart?

_I can promise you, I will make you happy. You will never want for anything ever again. You will be loved and cherished for all eternity._

How can he love when he has no heart? He never showed any remorse for killing Kurt. He even had the audacity to allow for it to happen right infront of her. Kurt himself tried to shield her even when he couldn't physically do so. He cried out for her to close her eyes while they held him still and took off his head. She had tried to run to him but Aro was holding her still, jerking her struggling form back towards him. Restraining her, trapping her in his arms, holding her possessively against his chest.

_I was such a bastard... doing those things to you._

Then why did you do it?

_I should have at least asked-_

Asked?

_Nay, begged you on my hands and knees to come away with me to Italy._

She then remembered how warm and affectionate Aro had been that night he murdered and fed on Michael to avenge her. His embrace dismantled her defenses, his kisses and loving caresses like stabs and bullets penetrating her soul. She had felt so ready to surrender to him because was she was tired of resisting. He felt so good and she had been through so much. She witnessed things she shouldn't have and now there he was, offering her a place by his side forever.

There was a gentle stroke to her back and Julie was wrenched out of her thoughts and returned to reality. She sniffed softly, raised and turned her head. Aro was once again by her side and she pushed herself to sit up on her knees. She hastily wiped the tears off her face and did her best to straight up. Julie then noticed a look on his face that had demolished her anger towards him almost immediately.

He looked like he was about to cry.

Could Vampires even cry?

She found it hurt to see him look that way and her hands twitched to reach for him to offer some sort of comfort. But the moment such a thought crossed her mind, a ghost of Kurt seemed to manifest beside her, "How could you even think of comforting that monster? He killed me!"

A wave of guilt crashed over her, paralyzing her limbs so all she could do was stare at the royal Vampire before her. He was kneeling beside her bed, his bright burgundy eyes gazing at her longingly. He looked like he was struggling to say something but didn't know how to say it. She also observed that he was quivering slightly like he was feeling cold and very vulnerable.

Oh my God... _he_ was breaking her heart.

"Julie..." he whispered to her, downcasting his eyes momentarily. He couldn't lose her, not when he was so close to having her, "Cara mia..."

"Yes?" her voice came out sounding very dull and flat, almost emotionless and the guilt she felt was amplified tenfold.

"I'm sorry." he looked up at her, his eyebrows pinching together and his eyes squinting slightly in remorse. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me, mi amore." Aro of the Volturi had never felt the need to apologise to anyone for anything in his life. He always believed he had good reason to do what he did so he didn't have to feel bad. He never really cared what he had to do to get his way nor did anything that didn't directly benefit him. The looks of hatred he got from those who dealt the swift hand of the Volturi never bothered him in the slightest. Infact he craved to see those looks because it made him feel good to know he was more powerful than they will ever be. There was nothing that anyone could do to stop him. He was the Emperor and they will all bow down to him whether they liked it or not.

But seeing Julie so distraught over Kurt's death all over again was more than he could bear. Besides the jealousy he felt from the bond she shared with Kurt, he was horrified to discover that this time it wasn't a good enough excuse to kill him. Although he had seen in Kurt's mind that he wouldn't give her immortality, he was not so opposed to it as long as it meant that the Volturi would spare her life.

However Aro was far too jealous of him, even before Julie existed. He had been well aware of Kurt's gift for centuries and yes, he thought about persuading him to join his Coven. But Kurt was too much of Master Strategist and if anyone could overthrow Aro, it would be Kurt. His ability allowed him a way of getting around Chelsea's talent to enforce loyalty. His mind was too much of a puzzle to manipulate and his ever calculating nature acted as a makeshift shield for his own preservation. Chelsea couldn't focus properly and found that her aim was always off when it came to trying to bond the Austrian to the Coven.

He was also very well liked by everyone. He was handsome for a Vampire, charming to the point of making Aro physically ill and got the best out of everything. What angered him the most was that Kurt had no desire for the power that Aro craved for. He was modest in his existence but still managed to accumulated a vast fortune because of his ways of winning with little to no effort. Everything was handed to him, including Julie's admiration that Aro had been working so very hard for.

Thankfully for Aro, he was at least the first to realise before Kurt that there was a weakness to his talent; it couldn't be harnessed by another. It's what made his capture so easy. This was demonstrated when Kurt couldn't find a way to escape the Volturi on the day of his execution that would allow him to take Julie with him. All solutions that his mind offered only guaranteed his own survival and Julie's death.

Aro was thankful that he didn't put any of those strategies into action.

"I forgive you."

Aro was taken out of his own thoughts abruptly the moment those words left Julie's lips. He couldn't believe his ears! The look on her face assured him that what he heard was true, he saw compassion and amnesty. Her hands came to frame his face gently, pulling him towards her so she could touch her forehead to his.

"I forgive you," she repeated, her dark eyes staring into his, "If I don't forgive you than it's going to eat away at me and take over my life. Also, I just can't... I just can't be mad at you or think of taking revenge because I don't want to hurt you. It would kill me if I ever caused you pain. I can see you mean every word of your apology so I forgive you, Aro. I forgive you."

The shakes had gotten worse for Aro, his hands coming up to cover hers on his face as he stared wide eyed at her. He was so used to people reacting badly to what he did. He expected Julie to scream that she never wanted to see him again or at least have vengeful hatred in her eyes. He never for a moment expected her to forgive him. The best he hoped her was for her to not even acknowledge him. He never foresaw that she would be this generously kind and gentle towards him.

"il mio angelo." _(my angel)_ Aro whispered, his hands slid away from her hands and came to rest on her waist. He then pulled the little human down onto his lap and cradled her preciously against his quaking body, "Thank you."

* * *

"Have you decided what you are going to do about NEO Tech?" Aro had taken Julie back up to Main Street and had got themselves stuck in the Plaza. The morning had started off as cloudy but the sun decided to make a rare appearance so all strolls down the street were cancelled until sunset. Julie had wanted to stay at home because she wanted to be around when her father woke up. However the ancient Vampire had reminded her what a newborn was capable of. Her blood was too enticing and before Martin could come to his senses, he would have most likely killed his daughter to quench his new thirst.

She had taken the news of inheriting Kurt's company with just as much shock. Being poor one minute and then rich the next was almost as unbelievable as finding out that Vampires were fact, not fiction. Everything was going to be finalized in less than 24 hours given that no one was going to attest the Will. It was highly unlikely though, Stephen showed no interest in it other then to annoy Aro by delivering the news. Kurt had no known living relatives and all the documents have been already deemed geniuine and ironclad. Any unforeseen objections will go unrecognised.

Julie had dragged Aro into a gentleman's clothing boutique, reasoning that if he was going to treat her like a Barbie doll, she should be able make him her Ken doll. Before they went out, Aro had drawn her attention to the contents of the shopping bag he had given her yesterday. Besides the skirt and the blouse, he had bought her a very nice looking white dress with a flowing knee length skirt that he insisted she wear. She noted that it looked very similar to the dress Marilyn Monroe wore in 'the Seven Year Itch' and when she pointed this out, Aro merely smirked at her.

Too him she looked like a small Greek Goddess and Aro was just about ready to fall to his knees and worship her with the kind of passionate devotion that a deity like her deserved. He would have had a heart attack if his heart still functioned when he saw she had chosen to wear her long, white stiletto boots that he had admired a little while back. Although he thought she looked enticing in them, he had the nagging feeling she only wore them because she wanted to hide the part of her legs that the skirt didn't cover. Why she wanted to deny the world the lusciousness that were her legs, he would never know.

"Don't you like the way I dress?" Aro had playfully accused her as she pulled him over to look at trendy leather jackets. She held one particular style up and pressed it against him, trying to visualize how it would look on him.

"I do but you look too good. That's the problem." she said, biting her lower lip indecisively as she picked up another style with her other hand to compare the two, "I bet you anything that people are looking at us and thinking, 'What the hell is that handsome Italian Stallion doing with that ugly common skank?'-"

"Julie!" Aro growled disapprovingly, furrowing his brow, "I don't ever want to hear you running yourself down again!"

She looked slightly taken aback, lowering the jackets slightly, "It's not my fault that you always look like you just left a photoshoot. You are all GQ all the time and you know, it makes me feel..." she trailed off, shrugging, "inadequate."

He stared down at her, pleasantly stunned and flattered at her sentiment that she could ever think she was not good enough for him. "Julianne." he began, coming in close to her and lifting her chin to make her look at him straight in the eye, "You are wrong. It is I who feels inadequate compared to a beauty such as yourself." he smiled at her and he could hear her heart beginning to pick up in rate. Oh, how he loved knowing that he had an effect on her.

Before Julie could open her mouth, they were interrupted by the pretty shop assistant who had approached them to offer her services. Not fifteen minutes later, Aro emerged from the dressing room looking like the very handsome modern gentleman that he always tried to avoid. However upon examining himself in the mirror, he found that it wasn't actually a bad thing after all. The leather jacket that they settled with was black, went down to his hips and had a large collar that fanned out and fused with the hood that laid flat on his back. The dark jeans went well with the jacket and also complimented the long sleeve white shirt worn underneath.

The look on the girl face was that of sheer ecstasy, her lips parted and her dark eyes traveled up and down his form admiringly. He looked absolutely breathtaking. Not that he wasn't before. He was always Godlike in his beauty but seeing as he was now only proved he could make anything look good on him. He could wear a shower curtain and he would have still looked incredibly desirable.

Aro couldn't stop grinning at the look on Julie's face, she was positively gobsmacked with the result. "Do you like it?" he inquired of her, already knowing the answer. She nodded, unable to speak properly just yet.

She approached him, he could hear that her heart rate was going crazy and it only served to please him further. She circled him slowly, trying to savour the sight of him before finally finding her tongue to put her thoughts into words. "You look so handsome." she was whispering, her fingers aching to reach for him again just to touch him. To make sure that he was actually real and not a figment of her imagination. "Oh my God..."

"So you didn't like how I looked before?" Aro teased, not that it really matter to him. Clothes never made the man. It just delighted him when Julie promptly turned red at such a question.

"I never said that! You're hot-I mean... I..." she waved her hands impatiently, her mouth moving but nothing was coming out, evidently choking on her words. The sales girl who was standing near by started giggling at the scene. Some of the other customers in the store had turned their heads curiously to see what all the fuss was about. Julie was painfully aware of the attention she was getting and it only made her flustering worse. Why oh why did she have to be so awkward?

After much deliberation, she excused herself to go into the changing rooms to retrieve the clothing that Aro had come into the store with. When she entered the cubicle that he had used, Julie noticed that his old clothing had been folded up neatly as if brand new and she was instantly envious and annoyed. Why did he have to be so freaking perfect? Beautiful and perfect? It was enough to drive someone insane with wondering how they did it.

The moment she had picked up the perfectly organised pile, she caught a whiff of Aro's scent on the expensive suit in her arms and she was instantly in a daze. Her body started to sway slightly and her face began to feel hot as well as her feminine nether regions. She knew his scent like the back of her hand and it never affected her as much as it did at that moment. Perhaps it was because Aro had been right there and she subconsciously watered down her more primal reactions to save her modesty. But now that he wasn't around to see her fall to pieces for whatever little time she had, her body and hormones were free to do their worst.

Oh God, she needed to get out of here!

She went to turn and she heard something clang onto the ground. She looked down and saw Aro's necklace with a V shaped gold pendant at her feet. Julie let out a sigh, bent to pick it up and slid it around her own neck just to keep it from falling again.

Meanwhile Aro was at the cash register, deciding to wear his new clothing now seeing as he got such a spectacular reaction out of his little human. He sniffed the air while the sales girl was processing his credit card payment and tracked the scent back towards the dressing rooms. A small smirk appeared upon his lips. It was the sweet, heated smell of Julie's arousal. He hadn't luxuriated in such a scent since the day before yesterday when they were at the Diner.

"If you would excuse me, my dear. I'll go see what's keeping my fiancée." he said to the sales girl as he took his card back along with his receipt. He then made his way swiftly at human pace back towards his cubicle to find Julie just as she was about to come out. To hell he was going to miss this opportunity.

Julie almost dropped Aro's clothing when she ran right into him but it didn't stop her from tumbling backwards and falling right onto her bottom. The back of her head came into hard contact with the mirror but thankfully the impact was not enough to break it. It only left her throbbing with skirt of her dress had flown up over her hips exposing the white pair of panties she wore.

"Oh bugger me!" she gasped trying to pull down her skirt, her face going as red as an apple. But it was too late, Aro had seen the telltale wet spot that her underwear had sported and his eyes widened at the lovely sight. His lips stretch back exposing his teeth as he hissed wildly with hunger. Not for blood but for something else.

The door of cubicle slammed shut behind him and Aro was suddenly on the ground by her side. She didn't know how it happened but she found that her thighs were suddenly spread wide apart with one of her legs draped over the Vampire's hips. She tried to get up but Aro would have none of it, his hand came to rest on her chest, pushing her back down onto the ground with him. He growled against the supple skin of her neck as the said hand began to snake down between the valley of her breasts, over her flat tummy and inched towards his prize.

It wasn't unusual for the scent of one's mate to cause arousal. Everytime Aro was around Julie, the smell of her not only made him thirsty but also made him want to take her to bed. Now that she was finally responding to his scent the way he always wanted her to, he wasn't going to pass up the chance to hear _his_ little Angel moan.

Julie's body stiffened but she wasn't sure if it was from anticipation or the humiliation of being in such a compromising position. Aro was as close to her as he was when they slept together - actually she slept while he laid on the bed with her and watched. Nothing ever happened because they were in a house full of Vampires and their supernatural hearing could pick up anything that they were been doing. Not that there was anything to hear at all.

Yes, the intimacy had gotten her hot and bothered but being so tired by that time, it never lasted long. Also she didn't feel right doing something like that while her father was going through a painful transformation only a couple of rooms down. It was disrespectful for one thing and being a virgin, she wasn't sure how to go about having sex. Aro was obviously more than willing to teach her however.

He was pressing himself firmly up against her, his mouth brushing over her ear and whispering something sensuously in Italian. It made her whimper and moan softly, her hips rotating out of instinct, trying to get his hand to move lower. He chuckled ominously in response, his tongue darting out to trace the shell of her ear with feather-like lightness. His fingers stroked downward, lightly teasing the dampness that was her arousal through the thin material of her panties.

"Please..." she breathed, her body twitching in response to his intimate caresses. She turned her head to look at his face and she noticed that his eyes had turned completely black. He wore a look of sheer need and hunger that only made her long for him in return. Her core was aching from the internal emptiness and had the innate desire to be filled to completion. By him.

"Keep looking at me." he commanded of her huskily, his darkened gaze boring into hers. Aro wanted to watch her face, especially her eyes when he made her cum. He wanted to see what his little bunny looked like whilst drowning in ecstasy because of what he was doing to her.

He moved his hand up slightly making her whimper, bucking her hips in response. Silently begging him to touch her between her legs again. His smirk had returned as his hand then slid under the waist band of her panties and rubbed over the lips of her tender pussy. She was so hot and wet. And Gods, it was because of him! _He_ made _her_ feel that way.

_Oh yes._

Julie tensed, her eyes shifting to look down but Aro snarled in protest. Her eyes immediately returned back to his face, her lower lip beginning to quiver. She breathed in sharply as the cold tips of his digits parted her soft folds and circled her slick, sensitive bud of flesh.

She mewed in pleasure, her hips moving to meet his strokes. Then out of the blue, he moved his fingers away, tutting softly. Julie stared at him in a mixture of confusion and mortification. What did she do wrong?

"Have patience, mi amore." he whispered slyly and Julie pinched her brows together. She was already on edge and she was finding it difficult to keep herself from losing control. However she nodded and went to shut her eyes tight but Aro hissed his disapproval, "I said look at me, coniglietto. Don't deny me."

She gasped at the tone of his voice, reopening her eyes and she was rewarded with his penetration. He slid his finger deeply inside her tight, little wetness. Her inner walls promptly clamped down around the invading, icicle like digit and hit a barrier that made him moan his own satisfaction. He could feel her virginity and it made him harden and throb with yearning desire in his jeans. His mate was indeed untouched and a explosion of pride went off inside him. What a good little girl she was.

A sudden knock on the cubicle door tore them away from their sexual endeavour and Aro was just about ready to rip the head off the imbecile who dared disturb them. Being denied the pleasure of watching his mate be brought to orgasm did not sit well with him at all and he cursed loudly in Italian. Instead he restrained himself with a look of contempt as he helped his wobbly mate back onto her feet and straighten out her dress.

Oh how he couldn't wait to take her back to Italy.


	14. Chapter 14

Julie was leaning heavily against Aro as they left the store, her mind firmly dwelling on what had happened between them in the dressing room. She felt as though the blush on her face was enough to tell the sales girl that interrupted what they had been doing. As they left, she was given a plastic bag by another shop girl for Aro's old clothing and she hastily shoved it inside without so much as a 'thank you'. She was far too deep in thought to even register where they were going. She kept thinking about the feelling of having his fingers between her legs and then digitally violating her... she should be mad but she wasn't.

Infact she found herself craving for more.

She was still slightly wobbly and immediately wished she had worn something other than her stiletto heeled boots. Thankfully Aro kept a very firm around her waist so the possibility of her falling over was close to non-existent. Julie was free to be as clumsy as current state of her body saw fit.

She looked over at Aro and he still looked as frustrated as he did mere moments ago. But it was the look that Aro wore prior that her mind lingered upon. That look of dominance, heat and intense arousal that had fascinated her so. The way he spoke to her...

If it had been anyone else, she would have picked up a cricket bat and bashed the hell out of them. But being that Aro was a big, scary Vampire with flesh as hard as stone, skin as cold as ice and a heavenly accent that was a cross between British and Italian, she couldn't do much about it. There was something so incredibly sexy with how dominant he was being with her, taking control and making her feel desirable. He had been so close to her, hugging her body to his with the arm that was wrapped around her back while the other had the hand doing...

They had stopped all of the sudden and Julie saw that Aro's attention had been drawn to the display window of a jewellery store. He pulled her along with him, his ironlike grip on her gave her little choice but to submit. She had a sudden feeling of uneasiness as his predatory gaze was drawn to the ladies rings modelled on maniquin hands. Julie herself never really was interested in such trinkets. Infact she was never really interested in anything she couldn't afford herself. But she found herself admiring how the diamonds sparkled in the warm glow of the artificial light of the display case and before she knew it, she was ushered into the store.

Being in a dress that had such a plunging neckline was drawing stares of the disapproving kind from the older shop ladies that manned the store. As Aro approached the counter, Julie somehow wriggled out of his grasp to reach back into the plastic bag and pull out his suit jacket. The fact that it was too large for her small frame did nothing to abdicate her intention as she quickly shoved it on. But this proved to be a mistake as his scent that permeated the garment overtook her senses again and her arousal was immediately renewed. She was left to put up with this because she didn't want to take it off, she was just felt too exposed.

Aro bit his lower lip as he was assaulted with another wave of his mate's need. It was taking all his self control not to bend her body over the counter top, lift up her skirt, pull down her panties and engorge himself within the promised land between her thighs. His cock twitched in his jeans, approving of the mental image but for now he had to focus. He could do plenty of fantasizing later.

"May I help you, sir?" chimed one of the older lady shop assistants, approaching him swiftly as he inspected the many rings on offer. He took his time responding to her, clearly looking over each article critically.

"I would like to look at your best engagement rings please." he finally answered which was promptly followed by a yelp of shock from Julie. A amused grin manifested upon his lips at her reaction as she immediately appeared at his side.

"What's going on?"

"What does it look like? You seriously do not expect me to allow your finger to go naked for a second longer, do you?"

Julie looked down at the ground, things seemed to be getting really serious now. There was walk to Aro's talk and so lost in thought she was that she hardly noticed a ring being slipped onto her shaking finger. She shifted her dark eyes to the gorgeously decorated golden band that sported a large, squarish diamond framed with several smaller ones.

What was so special about her? She simply didn't get it. She looked around and she could see at least 20 other women who would be more suited to Aro. They were prettier, more sophisticated looking and screamed 'wifey type'. Although she was twenty, her small stature made her look like a pathetic little school girl, especially next to the older and extremely handsome Aro. Here she was, wearing his jacket and looking every but as frumpy as she felt while he was all smooth and elegant, like a celebrity. They were perfectly mismatched but she would be lying if she didn't think there was something strangely erotic about it all. It all seemed dark and forbidden and any outsider would have been drawn in like a moth to a flame.

But she didn't deserve this! She had rejected Aro's advances so many times before and yet here he was showering her with gifts like she was being rewarded for things she hadn't done. It only made her feel all the more guilty.

He was suddenly behind her, nuzzling her neck as he admired how the expensive accessory looked upon her finger. Aro cuddled her waist, thrusting her firmly against him so she could feel his stiffness that rivaled her pulsating need between her legs. Her breathing hitched and she instinctively leaned into him, earning her a purr of approval from the Vampire behind her.

On the contrary, Aro didn't think Julie looked frumpy at all. Infact he thought she looked deliciously cute wrapped up in his suit coat with his necklace gracing her neck. The gold of the chain complimented her olive toned flesh and the Volturi crest hung enticingly between the soft swells of her breasts. Like it was always meant to be worn by her.

Gods.

"Will sir be buying the ring?" the lady at the counter prompted in a slightly impatient tone as she watched the cozy scene before her. Aro in turn was irked to have their moment interrupted for the second time today and nodded. The ring looked too good on her finger to take off so he had to buy it. The rudeness of the sales staff however made him feel like leaping over the counter and snapping the wrench's neck.

* * *

It was late in the afternoon by the time they made their back to Julie's Dual Cab which was parked underneath the shade of the trees in the shopping centre's parking lot. It was nearing dinner time and she was eager to get back home, maybe order in a pizza and just have a rest. However it seemed as though Aro had other plans.

As soon as they were both inside the car, it was then Aro attacked Julie, hurling himself at her with a growl. Both seats suddenly snapped backwards so the Human female was lying on her back while the Vampire male was hovering above her. He smirked mischievously down at her and she felt her face grow hot, her eyes glancing up at the windows fearfully. What if someone happened to walk by and saw them?

"No, wait!" she protested, trying to push him back off her, scooting backwards until her head hit the back seat.

Aro took her chin and turned her head back towards him so she was only looking at him. "Don't take your eyes off me, cara mia." he whispered to her as he slowly began to part the lapels of his jacket she wore and began to sensually knead her breasts through the top of her dress. She let a involuntary moan, thrusting her upper body against his touch.

There was a sound of fabric tearing and cool flesh made contact with warm. Julie let out a noise halfway between panic and shock. The top of her dress was ripped clean off her chest leaving her breasts exposed to Aro's ravishings. It made her look like she was wearing a crudely tailored high waisted skirt.

Aro's eyes turned completely black with desire at the sight of his half naked mate before him. She was a vision of what the Gods exactly intended when they fashioned feminine beauty. Her breasts were not too big or too small, they were the perfect handful of tear drop shaped flesh that he immediately swooped down and assaulted. He started with the right, taking one pinkish -caramel coloured peak into his mouth and sucking greedily while his hand fondled the other. Julie let out a cry of pleasure, her head falling back against the dark grey, polyester cotton blend upholstery of the flattened car seats.

The Vampire shifted his lust filled gaze up to the girl and let out a disciplinary growl, she wasn't looking at him! The little Human snapped her head back to him, propping herself up unto her elbows and Aro let out a purr of approval before moving onto the other breast to repeat the same treatment.

"A-Aro..." she gasped, her entire being buzzing with timid excitement. The sensation of his lips and tongue dancing over skin was extremely foreign to her. No one had ever touched her this way before and panic began to set in. Shouldn't she be doing something other than just lying there like a stunned mullet? Where was she supposed to start?

Aro's eyes drifted shut momentarily at the way his name came out of her lips - so soft and needy. Soon he wanted to hear his name dragged out as a moan of release, he wanted to feel her body tense beneath him as she rode out her impending orgasm. See her facade of independence completely torn down and finally claim her as completely his. Forever.

His eyes strayed to the lips he had been dying to kiss for some time now. He had been close a couple of times but he always steered clear. He wanted to make her beg for his kiss as much as he wanted her to beg for the orgasm he intended on bestowing upon her. He wanted to see his Angel reach for him in need the way he needed her.

He began to slowly slide up her body until his face came in very close to hers, her doe eyes staring up at him with a look that made his cock strain in his new jeans. It was a look of intense desire and his ego swelled to know he made her feel that way. He got a particular jolt when he saw that her chin bucked up towards him as if to silently ask him to do what he was thinking.

"Please..."

He touched his forehead to hers, his darkened gaze piercing into hers as his mouth began to inch towards hers. Just when his lips grazed hers, he pulled back teasingly which earned him a desperately fevered moan, pleading for mercy. He smirked down at her, he loved having the upper hand once again. She was topless and clearly begging for his touch and damn did it feel good!

"Mine." he said, his voice coming out in a soft snarl as his mouth finally crashed down upon hers in a deep, passionate kiss.

Julie let out a tiny, muffled noise of satisfaction. Supporting her full upper body weight upon her right arm while her left came around to encircle his neck, she pulled him closer and he purred happily. Her breasts crushed up against the cool leather of his new jacket while her thighs fell apart automatically.

Aro immediately nestled himself between her spread legs and rocked his hardened, jean covered bulge into her moist, panty shielded pussy. He was gratified to know that she seemed to get wetter as he moved against her. He in turn became so hard that he felt his prick would burst through the zipper of his pants.

Julie felt like she was grinding against stone as they kissed and nipped at each other's lips. The sensitive flesh encased within her folds burned but in a extremely erotic fashion and it caused a fresh pool of her hot juices to flow from her core. She was spiraling out of control, her womanly needs overtaking any rational thought process that had been at her disposal. Her pulsating desire was amplified to extreme heights all because of him.

Aro's hand slipped down between their writhing bodies, his hips pulling away slightly so he could slip back into her panties and resume what he had started in the dressing room. His fingers tormented her center while his tongue darted out to lick along her lower lip, demanding entrance. When her jaw became slack the moment he began to rub her clit back and forth in a tantalizingly slow rhythm, it was then he slipped into her mouth.

His tongue slithered seductively over hers. He tasted of fresh mint, cinnamon and vanilla, massaging her hypnotically while his fingers mimicked the action below. He stroked Julie into a tortured frenzy of need. He was clearly rather well practiced and precise with his movements. He was doing it better than she ever could whenever she had tried masturbating. Underline tried. She never made herself feel as intense as Aro was making her and for a moment she was afraid of becoming addicted to him. So dependent upon him that she would become one of those clingy women that subsequently pushed their partners away.

Despite her fear, her grip on him tightened instinctively, not wanting to ever let him go. Aro noticed and instead of pulling away, he threw himself closer to her. Cuddling into her while his fingers slid down towards her slick entrance. He inserted a finger into her and he moaned from the snugness of her inner walls. His invading digit was once again squeezed, her vaginal muscles naturally trying to milk the slender, probing limb.

If she was this tight with just his finger, he could only imagine how his cock would feel once he had firmly embedded himself within her. He believed without a doubt that he would release right away, flooding her hot, little pussy with his cum. The thought almost made him shoot his load in his pants. Oh yes, he really was very hard up.

What a dirty old man he was.

Aro tore himself away from Julie's lips and withdrew his hand from her womanhood, leaving her in a daze. She looked down just in time to see him raise her legs up in the air and work on removing her panties to which he deposited into his inner jacket pocket. Her pussy was now completely exposed and the Vampire's eyes widened wildly at the sight of her glistening, pink cleft. Her cunt looked so lovely all shiney with her juices, her clit was swollen from the abuse it endured from his fingers and her tiny little entrance seemed to beckon to him.

"Such beauty!" he cried out in lustful gratitude, praising the heavens for blessing him with the exquisite female specimen before him.

Julie watched, her face flushed from the heat of the moment as Aro lowered his mouth towards the apex of her thighs. The moment his tongue graced her clit, she let out a soft yelp of ecstasy and her hand immediately jumped into Aro's long, luxurious, dark locks. He hummed against her tender, bundle of nerves, her juices were as delicious as they had looked. Aro wondered with amusement that if human blood made a Vampire's eyes red and animal blood made them amber... what colour would his eyes go if he feasted on Julie's sensual nectar from now on?

Meanwhile Julie's hips began to buck forcefully, pushing herself into Aro's face trying to maximize the delectable sensations that had completely overtaken her. His tongue teased and licked the entire length of her opening, sweeping back and forth over her virgin orifice and especially over her clit. She never felt something so incredible in her entire life and it made her forget about her fear of getting caught having oral sex in public. The way he was making her feel, she would gladly go to jail for indecent exposure with a smile on her face.

Aro marveled at the way his mate was rotating against his mouth and they way her breasts heaved. To him it meant that he was making her feel good and that's all he wanted to do. He wanted her to be happy and he would gladly spend the rest of his eternity with his head between her legs. Have her cum all over his face and loving every drop of it that seared his cold, marble like skin.

Gods.

"You taste so good, mi amore." he husked against her pussy in between licks, "I could feed on you forever..."

His hot whispers brought on another wave of euphoria that edged her nearer to her climax. Each stroke of his tongue pushed her closer and when it reached the peak, she came with a scream as she squirted her hot serum right into Aro's open mouth, eagerly lapping up everything his mate had to give him and then some.

"Aro..." she moaned, reaching for him as she cruised through out her orgasm. "Aro..." she repeated, her breathing coming in ragged gasps as the Vampire male came to her.

He willingly allowed himself to be wrapped up within her arms, planting kisses along her shoulder and neck. His body settled in between her legs once more and knew that was exactly where he belonged. Something unbearably sore began to grow within his chest as he gazed down at Julie who had closed her eyes to regain her composure. Her long, darkest brown hair was spread out spectacularly around her face, a light sheen of sweat had formed upon her brow and her lips looked attractively red and kiss swollen.

She was a beautiful mess and the ache within Aro's chest only intensified from the sight of her. He didn't need to have Alice's gift of precognition to know that he wouldn't be able to exist from now on without her by his side. He bypassed asking her anything that may result in a negative answer from her because he was afraid of rejection. He knew he wouldn't be able to handle it and would become precisely like Marcus if he was ever forced to spend his immortal life without her.

He eyed her neck, he could bite her now. Just one swift movement and his venom would invade her bloodstream the way it had done to many others before her. It would mean they would have to prolong their stay in Australia but he didn't mind, as long as he got Julie in the end. But when it came down to it, he couldn't do it. He couldn't sink his teeth into her without her permission. He wanted to turn her because she would want him to. Because she wanted to be with him too. He would give up everything he had to be with her. He would give up his Coven and the power it gave him. He would give up being King and his regal life style to have the happy and ever noble honour of becoming her husband.

"I love you."


	15. Chapter 15

The stars slowly began to appear in the darkening sky over Norwood, coming to keep the crescent moon company that had been present hours before. The outer space body shone down upon the near empty parking lot directly over a black Nissan Navara to which housed a Vampire and his slumbering human who he watched over her protectively. Off in the distance, sat high in a tree was another Vampire who's looks were as light as Aro's were dark.

Stephen had taken to stalking Julie ever since he had seen her in Rosie's shop. He simply couldn't get over how much she looked like Sera and how unfair the whole situation was. He had seen everything that had went on in that car in the afternoon and he cursed the Volturi King underneath his breath. In his mind, the Gods had seen fit to return Sera back to him in the form of Julie and no one should have her but him!

How dare Aro touch what was his? He practically threw himself at her like the common slut in heat that he was and raped the poor girl. Didn't he have enough pussy in his extended life time that he had to have what was meant to be his too?!

His golden eyes had darkened with fury when Julie had moaned his raven haired rival's name like she was confirming Aro's ownership of her. Settling for second best when she could have Stephen whenever she wanted. Why didn't she want him? They belonged together. He was her true mate... not Aro!

He let out a nasty growl that certainly didn't suit how he looked and immediately ran off towards the the Lawson residence once more. If Aro was going to play dirty, he was game!

* * *

Renata was practically bouncing upon her heels in anticipation as the transformation of her mate was nearing completion. Martin looked every bit like the Vampire version of his days as a human in the Australian Army, only infinitely more alluring like he was the product of the Divine.

His hair only had very few silver streaks left in his thick head of dark waves. It was perfectly coiffed and gave him a classical look of a well groomed nobleman. His face now held very few lines although they were still there but faint, it was endearing. His body regained the weight that he had lost due to his old age and gave off the look of a strong, yet slender build.

There was a ghost of looking like a more masculine version of Julie but held none of the heaviness that was her exotic features. He was very Caucasian and more angled than his daughter who was obviously softer in dimensions.

The female Vampire gazed at him longingly, he looked incredibly handsome and her body already started yearning to be joined to his. Her fingers ached to touch him but she didn't want him to wake up to a total stranger who was violating him and so kept her hands to herself. He would suffer enough of a shock just to have her there watching him instead of his child to whom she was sure he would want to see.

When his heart finally beat it's last thump, Renata stepped back alittle suddenly very shy. She had been so keen for him to wake up and now she was getting all bashful?! The elder Lawson's eyes flew open and he was immediately on his feet, crouching upon the mattress and staring at Renata apprehensively.

"Who the hell are you?!" he bellowed and suddenly shut his mouth in shock. Was that really his voice?! It was so well tuned like a guitar thrumming out a romantic ballad and the small, dark haired aversion shield moaned from the pleasure of hearing it.

"Oh darling..." she whispered, her face melting into a expression of pure ecstasy. Her ruby lips parted and she came in close to him, "Please don't fear me, my love."

Martin stared at her, at least she wasn't that imposter who had posed as his daughter but it didn't ease his worry. Especially when a particular burning within his throat made his hand shoot up to his neck instead of pushing her away. Who was she? What was she doing here? And why was she staring at him like she was the first man she had ever seen in her life?!

Renata had climbed onto the bed with him, a bright smile lighting up her lovely, angelic face as she glided towards him. Martin tried to back away but his new male Vampire desires would have none of it. She was absolutely breath taking! Her small body had the perfect hour glass shape that men fantasized about, her lips were so red and full of pout that they were practically begging to be ravished and her smell, it was like roses and cherry blossoms.

Oh my word!

"I have waited for you for over seven hundred years." she said in a softly, sensual voice that sent a pleasurable shiver up Martin's spine. Her hands came to rest on his chest as her lips came up to brushed over his.

"Seven hundred years?" Martin repeated as his mouth began to descend upon hers and just before he kissed her he said, "You're looking pretty good for an old woman."

Just as their lips met, there was a commotion coming from the living room that jerked them apart. The newborn tore himself away from Renata and ran at Vampire speed into his lounge room to see what was going on. At first he had to take a moment to get used to his new abilities, he swayed slightly on the spot from the shock of being able to move so fast. Before he could only manage an amble and that was on his good days. It gave him a tiny thrill to know he felt better than he ever had in years!

Four more strangers were presented to him and Martin let out a growl of hostility. Two of them stared at him in surprise, while the third glared down at the fourth that was writhing in agony upon the floor.

Jane stared daggers down at Stephen as he screamed from the painful illusion that the little blonde was inflicting upon him. Martin looked down at him with raised eyebrows, as if this all wasn't bizarre enough as it was. There was a crazy man on the ground plus four new people who looked like they all just descended from the heavens in his home!

Martin had had it, his body becoming rigid as he opened his mouth and yelled, "ENOUGH!"

Jane immediately ceased what she had been doing and looked up at Martin as if she had just realised that he could speak english, "Oh. You're finally awake." she drawled, her blood red eyes shifting lazily to Renata who had come after him and wrapped her arms protectively around her mate's waist, "Relax. I have no intention of harming him... unless he gives me a reason to."

"Where's my daughter?!" Martin demanded, looking at each person in the room for the answer. He was on the verge of breaking down as it was from all the madness that was going on. The last he had heard of her, he had been dying and heard her distressed wails that made him want to live and for once, fight for her. But now she was no where to be seen and that did something terrible to a father.

"He raped her!"

Martin's newborn, red hues shot down towards the tall, slimline male on the ground who was just recovering from the onslaught of Jane's gift. The Volturi guard around him snarled at him.

"What?"

"Their Master raped her!" Stephen spat acidly struggling to sit himself up onto his knees. His own eyes were completely black from the jealous rage he had been suffering from that afternoon. His voice dripped with malice as he stared up at Julie's father, willing him to join him in his rampage of anger. He was a newborn once and knew it didn't take much for them to lose control.

Martin himself began to quake, his face frozen in disbelief which morphed into horror, disgust and then extreme animosity. Someone dared lay a hand on his little girl?!

"What's his name?"

Stephen's face twisted into a sadistic smile at the look on new Vampire's face. Bingo!

"His name is Aro."

* * *

Julie eased her Dual Cab to slow down and stop as the traffic lights turned red. Aro was sitting beside her with a blissful look on his Adonis-like features as his fingers gently stroked the back of her head. He was smiling over at her, completely satisfied although he had denied her request to pleasure him in turn.

When she had recovered from her orgasm they had started kissing again but Aro stopped her from moving down towards the zipper of his Jeans. He lifted up her chin and nuzzled her cheek affectionately, "It's alright, my love."

"But what about you?" Julie whined softly reaching for his crotch and feeling the hardness there that made Aro moan. His Angel was touching him and for a moment he almost ripped down the zipper himself and gave her his dick to play with. But he didn't and he had very good reason why.

"I'm liable to knock out all your teeth, cara mia." he husked taking to flicking his tongue over her earlobe teasingly which earned him a gasp of relish from the little girl in his arms. She mewed against him in response. "Not that I wouldn't love to feel your lips wrapped around my cock. Infact it would be a dream come true but I could lose control and incase you haven't noticed, I'm very strong." he squeezed her closer to him to emphasize his point, Julie whimpered but felt no discomfort. Infact in brought on a new wave of arousal that got Aro's eyes turning black again from the scent of it.

"But I can't let you go without-"

"I won't be, dearest one. Just you wait until I get you back to Italy..." he whispered sensuously as his fingers once again descended towards her dripping, wet pussy and coating his digits in her essence. Julie quivered against him as she watched him bring said fingers back to his mouth and sucking off the juices greedily, "Mmm..."

When the lights turned green, Julie drove on back to her place. The coat she wore was buttoned up again so she looked somewhat halfway decent but not enough for public hence why they were going back. Aro wanted to take her out to dinner and she needed to get changed.

"Marry me, Julianne." Aro said to her as they drove up her street towards her house.

"Why do you want me marry me?" she asked him, genuinely curious as to why someone as amazing as him would want her. Out of all the women in the world who were more worthy of his love, why waste his time on her?

"Because I love you." he replied, meaning it more than he meant anything in his life. "So very much."

Her heart clenched painfully within her chest and her eyes began to blur with tears. She had heard him before when he told her he loved her and it made her want to turn around to see who he was talking to. She didn't believe for a second that he meant her.

"You're going to make me cry and crash this car, Aro." she choked out, slowing down the closer they got to her home.

"What do you think you do to me, Julianne?" he retorted in a pained whisper, "I have been dying to be with you since the moment I saw you."

"You've only known me for five days-"

"I don't need years to figure out if I want to be with someone. I'm not a human, darling. No matter how much I wish I was-"

"What?" Julie breathed, not believing her ears. She always thought Aro was proud to be a Vampire, to be superior to her in every way. So why would he want to be a slow, weak, insignificant nothing like her?

"I wish I were still a human. That way I could be perfect for you and I wouldn't have to watch you die. I could die with you."

"Aro, you're breaking my heart!" Aro dying was the most painful thought she ever had been confronted with and made the tears win. They flowed freely down her face as she drove up into her drive way beside her father's old Nissan Navara.

"And you don't think you're breaking mine by remaining human? Forcing me to watch the woman I love and ever will love wither and die before my eyes?!" Aro shot back cruelly as if to encourage her crying, "The best I can hope for is for my brothers to tear me apart, turn me into ash and lay me down next to my dead wife in our coffin."

"Shut up!" she wept, undoing her seat belt and flinging herself at him. Aro's arms immediately wound themselves around her waist, holding her possessively against him as she cried into his chest. "Please... please... stop... stop talking like that. I can't stand it. Please..."

Aro purred lovingly at her reaction, kissing the top of her head and hugging her tight, "I'm sorry, mi amore. I just want you so much!"

"You can't have her!" came a roar and the next thing she knew, Julie was being severed from Aro's embrace and dragged out of her car. She was thrown onto the ground a few meters away from the scene of Aro being suddenly caught in a headlock by a man that looked like a younger and more godly version of her father.

"Dad!" she screeched at him, going to get up but was suddenly shoved back by Stephen who had jumped off the porch behind her. He grinned down at her, his arms folded and blocking her from going anywhere near the fighting pair.

"Hello, little lady." he sneered at her as she went to stand up again.

"Stephen, what have you done?!" she screamed at him, completely horrified that someone could be so hateful.

"Making sure Kurt's death was not in vain. I'm doing this for your own good!" he grabbed her arm and held her back when she tried to side step him, "I doubt he would be pleased to know that you are sleeping with his murderer!"

Meanwhile Martin had Aro on the ground, straddling his chest with his hands around his neck as if trying to choke him. He was growling at him, slamming the back of his head over and over again into the concrete surface of his driveway. Julie's heart was in her throat as she was forced to watch the painful scene.

"Julianne!" Aro cried out to her, "He's going to kill me! He thinks I raped you!"

"Dad-!" Julie hollared at him, making Stephen clamp his hand over her mouth to prevent her from revealing the truth. Although freely admitting to your father that you have been willingly having sexual relations was uncomfortable, the situation was desperate enough to make her not care. She couldn't let Aro die at the hands of a very strong newborn who was in a flurry of rage. Infact she couldn't let him die at all. She needed him!

"Oh my God! You bastard!" Martin snarled down at him, he was suddenly seeing images in his head, memories that were not his own and made him all the more angry. Flashes of his daughter being taken away to Italy, the fire at NEO Tech, Aro touching her, kissing her and going down between her legs to pleasure her. Aro's features dawned in realisation of what was going on. Julie's father indeed had a gift! He could absorb another's ability and use it against them!

"No!" Aro protested desperately, trying to figure out a way to block him but to no avail. Every thought he ever had was now exposed to Julie's very angry father and there were many things he didn't want him to see. He had lustful, very pornographic thoughts about taking Martin's daughter to bed with him, taking off her clothes, making love to her in every position that had ever been invented and filling her pussy with his cum. Repeatedly. "Oh Gods!"

"You filthy piece of shit!" Martin was screaming insanely, picking Aro up my the neck and throwing him against the wall of his home leaving a man sized crack upon the brick work. He wasn't finished yet as it would seem because he leapt back onto him and started to pull at his head, trying to rip it off.

Aro tried to pry his hands away from his neck as he saw that Martin had seen his life prior to meeting Julie. All the women he had fucked carelessly during his marriage to Sulpicia, cheating on her right under her nose. He absorbed the thoughts and memories he had when he killed so many Vampires to gain control and steal their gifted as well as the murder of his own sister.

Oh no, no, no!

"Murderous whore!" he spat but was suddenly knocked off Aro by Afton with Alec taking his arms to restrain him. However Martin's newborn strength aided him in flinging Jane's twin brother off him and right into one of the windows of his home.

Jane had come out and stared Julie's father down until he collapsed like a ton of brick onto the grass, crying out in torment. There was another scream but this time of rage coming from Renata who wrestled the blonde onto the ground for attacking her mate. Alec jumped out of the window he was thrown into and used his own gift of sensory deprivation to numb Martin, the black mist completely engulfing him until he was completely paralysed.

Stephen snarled, damn those interfering lackays! With the need to restrain Julie completely forgotten, he headed straight for Aro who was temporarily immobilised from the cracks that had formed upon his face and neck and were in the processing of healing. He pounced towards him but was thrown back by Afton who had blocked and pushed him back onto the road.

Stephen, realising that he was outnumbered turned and ran off leaving the mess that he caused behind. He'll have to come back when he had more back up.

Julie had flung herself at Aro, trying to kiss away all the cracks that he got from the fight with her father. When the last disappeared, Aro finally was able to move to comfort his beloved while she cried like a kitten.

Alec released his gift on Martin, knowing that Julie's father would not dare attack his Master again if his daughter was in between them. Jane struggled free from Renata's grasp and returned to her brother's side. Afton looked from where Stephen was last seen and then towards the gathering on the lawn before deciding that chasing him wasn't worth it.

When Martin came back to his senses, he stared at the scene before him completely puzzled. His daughter was clinging to Aro like her life depended on it. It was very contrary to how a rape victim would act around the monster who forced her into submission. Infact she was pressing herself up against Aro in a needy manner, whimpering fearfully and burying her face into his jacket.

"Julie. What are you doing?"

"Don't hurt him!" she sobbed, not looking at Martin as she tried with all her might to drown herself within Aro's embrace. "He's mine."

Aro flinched, groaning happily into her hair and inhaling her scent deeply. She called _him_ hers! _He_ belonged to _her_ although she didn't have to say it for it to be true. He would follow her anywhere even if she didn't want him. He was just overjoyed to be acknowledged as belonging to her as she belonged to him.

"Julianne Isabella Lawson, don't talk shit to me!" Martin snapped angrily, taking a step forward towards the pair which made everyone around him close in on him cautiously. "You have no idea where that man has been and what he has done-"

"I don't care!" Julie screamed, turning around to face her father defiantly, "He is the air I breathe and I cannot live without him!"

"Yes. You. Can! Starting today!" he snarled looking at Aro as if he were some repulsive parasite that needed to be exterminated quickly. "He's not good enough for you! He's a soulless monster!"

Aro twitched again but for an entirely different reason. He was suddenly brought back to the time when Bella Swan had begged for mercy to spare Edward Cullen's life. He had referred to himself as a _soulless monster_, not believing that a human would ever want to give up their life for someone like him. He envied Edward because he wanted that too, to be accepted for the monster he had become. Now that Julie had come into his life, the envy was gone because he had her. He was _wanted_ by _her_ and...

"I love him!" Julie argued and meaning it as much as her Vampire mate meant it when he said it to her. The world stood still for them both and Aro let out a noise like a wounded animal. "He's not a monster. He's my everything and I love him with all my heart and soul. I don't care what happens to me as long as he survives!"

_And now I finally have you_, Aro thought triumphantly. _You're all mine!_


	16. Chapter 16

"I feel like I'm going to throw up."

Julie pursed her lips together at her father's response guiltily once Aro had finished explaining that he had been turned into a Vampire. Martin's gift of absorption put the fear of God into Aro, as well as getting beaten up and so he was careful not to say anything that would antagonist the newborn. Julie stayed by his side, ready to throw herself infront of her mate the moment Martin became hostile again. As his daughter, she was clearly his weakness and Aro's best defense.

"Well, you can't now because you're a Vampire. We don't get sick." Afton grinned and Julie rolled her eyes at him.

Smart arse.

They were seated in the lounge room, Martin had changed out of his pajamas and into a pair of dark slacks and a plaid, blue shirt. Yes, plaid is very popular with Australians.

He was in one of the single sofa chairs with Renata perched upon the arm. Julie was on the three seater with Aro to her right and Afton on her left. Jane and Alec were situated on either side of Martin and Renata, both eying the pair with very mistrustful looks.

"Erm... Aren't you thirsty, Dad?" Julie said, clearly wanting to change the subject to alleviate the situation. Martin was still glaring at Aro and if looks could kill, the Volturi King would be the ICU kind of injured by now.

Yes, his daughter's blood was taunting and made his throat burn but being a father who completely adored his offspring, control came rather easily to him. Martin's crimson irises looked down towards Julie's left hand to which she sported the diamond ring that Aro had given her. He took in an unneeded breath at the sight of it. "So he proposed?"

Renata blinked and followed her mate's gaze before she let out an excited squeal and leapt off the arm of his chair. "You're getting married?!" She flitted over to Julie and took hold of her hand to have a closer look of the ring on her finger. "Oh jealous! I hate you!" she slapped the girl playfully on the arm. It was light by Vampire standards but it smarted like a bitch to Julie.

"So are you getting married? To this guy?" Martin jerked his head in Aro's direction to which Julie looked over at the Vampire sitting beside her and smiled.

"Yes, I am."

Aro smiled back at her. That was the best form of acceptance he ever had. She was clearly imitating his way of doing things indirectly, a terrible habit they would both have to stop. Later.

Martin stood up and everyone else shot up out of their seats after him. Julie being of course the last to get up, being the slow and only human left in the household. "Daddy... please!"

"Married?!" Martin growled, absolutely outraged at the concept, "And when was this going to occur?"

"As soon as Julianne turns twenty-one." Aro replied smoothly, grabbing hold of Julie's arm and shoving her behind him, "When we return to Italy-"

"Italy?!"

"You are welcome to join us."

"Like bloody hell I will! I'm staying in Australia and so will my daughter-"

"Dad!" Julie wailed, trying to push around Aro but he wouldn't have any of it. Although he was uncomfortable around Martin, like Julie he was more than prepared to throw himself infront of her if things got violent.

"You will have no choice. Renata is part of the guard and she will also be returning with us." Aro replied firmly, his eyes shifting to the aversion shield who moved closer to her mate.

"I'm not going if he isn't." she said, sticking out her chin in defiance. "I'm not leaving Marty behind!" She then nodded over to Julie, "Besides, you have a new shield now. You don't need me anymore, Aro."

Aro flinched, really starting to miss her obsessive loyalty towards him prior to meeting Martin. In all honesty, it didn't really surprise him given the way she acted around him since discovering her mate in Julie's father. Also she was right, if Julie really was anything like Bella, Renata would be rendered obselete by his standards and his mate would inevitably take her place.

But Julie was not a Vampire yet and so Renata's services were still required. "If you stay here, Renata, you'll be cut off!"

"No, they won't." Julie piped up suddenly and Aro looked down at her quickly, "Remember my inheritance. I'll share it with them."

"Cara mia!"

"You seriously didn't think I would be so greedy as to not share my good fortune with my father?" Julie said with a nod up at Aro before she turned back to Martin, "You see, Curtis left me everything in his Will. By tomorrow I'm going to be... you know... very capable and I promised I would take care of you, Dad, so that's what I'm going to do. You can even have it all if you want... I don't mind-" Julie was still uncomfortable with the idea of being a 'rich girl'. It conjured up images of overly tanned, platinum blondes walking around in tiny clothing carrying their little doggies in their bags.

"Julie!" Aro gasped, looking as though his mate had gone insane.

Meanwhile Renata and Martin exchanged looks of complete bewilderment. The female Vampire touched her mate's arm for emotional support while the male looked like he had been punched in the gut. They simply couldn't believe their ears.

"Miss Julie, that is so generous... but we couldn't! Could we, Marty?" Renata gazed adoringly up at the elder Lawson who immediately shook his head.

"Absolutely not!"

"But Dad-!"

Martin gave his daughter a very hard stare, "Julie, you can't buy me off so you can run off to Italy with the first - and I do mean 'first' - man who comes along and... and..." he quivered from the memory of what he saw in Aro's mind. "You're too young to get married-"

"I'm 20 years old!" the younger Lawson retorted, "I may look like I'm younger than the age of consent but my Birth Certificate say otherwise."

"Age is just a number in your case, Julie. You may be legally an adult but you are still a child in my eyes!"

By this time, Julie had heard enough and so turned on her heel and marched out of the room with her nose in the air. Aro turned to Martin, approached him and stuck out his hand, "Come on. I know you what to." he said, with a nod an wriggling his fingers. He wanted to show his mate's father that his feelings for Julie were genuine. Why else would he be here?

Martin eyed Aro's hand apprehensively before snatching it into his own. A flood of emotion washed over his new, handsomely enhanced features. Seeing as Martin had been subjected to Aro's memories and more personal desires, he wanted to share another desire. One not so lustful but of a more wishful and romantic nature.

If Aro had been human.

_He pictured NEO Tech the way he had seen it in Kurt's mind when it was still standing, the typical Office environment where the workers would be busy tapping away at their computers and answering incoming calls. The big, multi-function printer would be buzzing away randomly and there were be the faint rustling of paper in the background. He focused on one desk in particular that had a pretty, young girl sat with her elbows on the desktop, her dark eyes staring at the flat screen monitor before her. Absentmindedly she would take her paper cup, almost empty with cooling tea and raise it to her full, cherry colour lips to drain it. After licking her lips, she would swivel around in her desk chair and dump it in her bin beside her feet._

_At that moment a human Aro would come walking up the stairs that lead into this Office, his greyish blue eyes scanning his surroundings. He would turn just in time to catch sight of Julie who would have seen the dark haired stranger from the corner of her eye. He would smile at her in a subtle come-hither sort of fashion, he was always the sucker for a beautiful face._

_The scene would switch to them talking about the various computers that the company manufactured. Aro would be sitting beside her at her desk while she flipped through one of their promotional brochures that the sales representatives would send to their stockists. His eyes would be staring at her exotic features admiringly while she spoke. Her manner cool and professional, complete with hand gestures and questions about his preferences to buying a computer. Her business-like attitude would impress him to the point of asking her out when she would inquire of him if he had any questions._

_He pictured her blushing, her professional demeanour shaken by his obvious desire to date her. But he would firmly believe that she would accept none the less._

_And again the scene would change to them dating to which he would court her as a gentleman. He would take her out to dinner and a movie, buy her roses and sweets which would gradually turn into weekends away together as a couple deeply in love. Sometime down the track he would get down on one knee infront of her family and friends during a special occasion, present her with a ring and plead with her to become his wife. They would wed in a lavish ceremony to which they would run out of the church in a flurry of confetti, laughter and kisses. Julie in a beautiful, flowing, white Wedding gown and Aro in a traditional black tuxedo. They would be cuddling up to each other while his new wife threw her bouquet up into the air behind her at the rushing brides maids, all scurrying to grab the fallen, floral bundle._

_Fast forward a few years and Aro pictured himself being handed his baby by the Doctor who just delivered him or her. Julie would be lying on the hospital bed beside him looking exhausted but glowing at the touching scene before her. A few more years down the track, his children older now and being taken on their first day of school by him with Julie by his side. Years on he and Julie would start to show signs of age as they watched their now teenaged children graduate from High School and then College. And then finally, decades on and still together, Aro who would be as old and grey as his frail, elderly little wife who was still cuddled up by his side and surrounded by their grandchildren._

Martin took his hand back, thrust back into reality when the connection was severed. The Volturi coven all watching the scene and somehow knowing what had gone on. He was shocked and almost touched by what he just saw. Aro stared back at him, looking miserable because out of all the fantasies he had ever conjured up in his mind, that was his most thought of and longed for. Knowing he could never make such a dream come true was excruciating and the downside of being with Julie. If anyone deserved such a fairytale of a life, it was her.

The Volturi King moved away silently out of the room, leaving Martin, Renata and his guard behind. Aro flitted after Julie, following the little lady straight into her bedroom. Before she could slam the door to vent her frustration, Aro stuck out a hand, stopping it from falling off it's hinges and closed it softly behind him.

"Mi amore-"

"I have never..." Julie began, breathing heavily and shaking with anger, "... been so embarrassed in my entire life!"

"He's your father, precious one. He just loves you very much." Aro offered gently, taking her into his arms and cuddling her warmly against his chest. He closed his eyes momentarily, his hands running up and down her back to rub away the tenseness. His mind lingered on his fantasy once more, hoping it had the desired effect because there was nothing more he wanted in the world than to have Julie. If anyone had the potential to take her from him, it would be her father. The thought frightened him more than the idea of Kurt taking over his Coven. "I honestly can't blame him for being so protective of you... especially after what he had seen in my mind earlier."

"Why? What was in your mind?"

Aro's smile morphed into a naughty, little smirk, his ruby gaze twinkling, "What I wanted to do to you once I got you back to Italy." He felt himself harden in his pants, his eyes darkening with desire. Yes, he was afraid of hurting Julie but he wouldn't let himself. If Edward Cullen could do it, so can he.

Oh the possibilities.

Julie promptly turned red, she didn't need him to paint her a picture, "Oh! Why couldn't you think of something else?"

"Because that's how my power works. I can see every thought and memory a person has ever had with one touch. Your father, being able to absorb the gift that a Vampire has, can use it against them!"

Julie felt like rolling over and dying right at that moment. Her father must have seen what she and Aro had been doing that afternoon and it made her sick to her stomach. Those moments were private! She had been so worried about someone else seeing them but to have her own father see... Oh my GOD!

"Aro..."

"Don't worry, amata-"

"That's it. We're never doing _that_ again!"

"That's a bit drastic!"

"How could you still want to after-"

"Well, let's just say that after sampling what you have to offer, I intend to get a lifetime supply." Aro chuckled cheekily at her and Julie's blush had deepened a shade, causing her to bury her head into her mate's chest. He purred in response, running his fingers throw her soft, long hair enticingly. "I'm addicted to you, mi amore."

Julie and Aro began sniggering, the little human blushing all over while the Vampire nuzzled her cheek affectionately. Taking pity upon her, Aro promptly changed the subject, "You know what? In all my 3,000 years, I have never been belted by somebody's father."

* * *

A 2014 model of a Black Nissan Navara dual cab lead the way for it's white, 1990 counterpart as it drove into town. The daughter going before the father towards the bank. Today was the day that the Volturi Coven was to leave for Italy minus Renata but plus Julie. There was both excitement and dread in the air, the primary sources being from the said relations with the surrounding parties acting as buffers as well as the confinements of the vehicles they mastered. Aro, Afton and Alec accompanied Julie while Renata and Jane were with Martin.

The Lawson Patriarch still was against the idea of his only daughter moving away to another country to marry a man she hardly knows. He was also still on edge about being suddenly mated to a woman he himself hardly knows and bit his tongue lest he would sound a hypocrite. At least the Wedding wouldn't be for 6 months and it left plenty of time for Julie to change her mind. After what he saw in Aro's mind, the Volturi Patriarch was going to do whatever it took to hold onto her. He was touched by the fantasy that he had shared with Martin but it still wasn't enough to convince him that he was good enough for his little girl.

Somehow he felt she deserved better than to be locked away in a tower and constantly cheated on.

Aro followed Julie meekly into the Bank and once they Teller confirmed that Julie was now the proud owner of a 1.8 billion dollar fortune, she immediately set to work splitting up the funds down the middle so she and her father would have 900 million each. More than enough to get rid of any debt that her mother had left them with.

Julie was positively bouncing on the balls on her feet now that she knew the financial pressures they had suffered from for so long had been alleviated. She had also decided to rebuild NEO Tech in Kurt's memory and rehire all the employees he had let go of prior to the original building's destruction. It was going to take months for everything to be restored to perfect working order. Renata was kind enough to offer to watch other the progress for her so she wouldn't have to keep traveling back and forth. However her light mood was soon to be doused the moment she inquired about Aro's bank account details.

"What for, mi amore?" Aro had asked, watching her as she began counting her fingers as if to aid in adding something up in her head.

"Because I would like to reimburse you for all your trouble-"

"You want to pay me?" he clarified, sounding slightly put off. An indication that Julie unfortunately missed as she reached for a pen with a chain attached to it. The teller slid a form over to her for her to fill.

"Yes, via EFT. Now what are your BSB and Account numbers?"

"You want to pay me?!" the sharpness in Aro's voice was now painfully apparent the second time he repeated the question. His pride had been bruised enough when Kurt left Julie everything in his will and being beat up infront of her by her newborn father. But to be paid like he was some common strumpet?!

A cold chill ran up her spine when it dawned upon her that he didn't seem very happy about the concept and she stopped her mental calculations at once. Her brain needed to focus on how to diffuse the sudden shift of atmosphere that felt too tense and uncomfortable for her liking.

"Y-yes." she began to hesitate, not really understanding why Aro looked as though she had just blown up his Castle. "I mean, you have been so generous to me and seeing as I can finally pay you back for the flights, hospitality, clothing and the car-"

"Just stop talking!" his whole body had become rigid with impending frustration. "Please don't talk anymore, Julianne. I'm just so angry!" His voice rose with each word he said until he was practically shouting. Every person in the bank began to gawk at the pair who stood at the counter. Even the Teller looked scared.

"There is no need to get upset. I'm just trying to make up for the inconvenience-"

But Aro had heard enough, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the bank leaving Julie behind looking completely gobsmacked. She didn't have the faintest idea as to why the Vampire had gotten so upset with the idea of her paying him back. In most cases people would appreciate the gesture but it was clear that Aro didn't understand this concept and obviously saw it as an insulting act.

The moment Julie stepped back out onto the street to look for Aro, he had already sat himself next to Jane in the back seat of her father's dual cab. He had his arms folded, his posture still stiff, his shoulders hunched and shaking from head to toe in silent fury. Against her better judgement, she approached her father's ute to which Martin gleefully wheeled down the window.

"Well... looks like you'll be staying in Australia after all, sweetheart." he grinned, Julie ignored him and glanced over at Aro who was glaring back Julie.

Renata leaned over towards Martin so she could look up at Julie, "What happened?"

Julie swallowed thickly, not sure whether she should recount what happened with Aro looking so angry but perhaps Renata, being around him for so long, could shed some light on this ridiculous tirade of intolerance. She glanced towards her own dual cab and Afton had gotten out of the car with Alec poking his head out the window, both with equal looks of curiousity on their impossibly, lovely faces. Speaking of lovely, although Aro's face was twisted in rage, he somehow managed to look incredibly handsome and alluring.

"All I did was offer to reimburse-"

There was a collective gasp of horror from the Volturi Coven, minus Afton who began to snigger and let out a little noise that indicated a school yard fight was about to begin. Julie's father smiled up at her, "I think that's a very sweet-"

"You have got to be kidding, Marty!" Renata argued quickly, looking very scared, her eyes shifting from Aro to Julie. "It's obnoxious!"

"Obnoxious?!" Julie repeated, her confusion only thickening, "I was trying to be nice!"

"Miss Julie!" Renata cried out loudly, drowning the growl of contempt from Aro. "I'm sorry but your human kindnesses are not appreciated by Vampire mating standards."

"What does that mean?"

"Wow, you really are dense for a human, aren't you?" It was Jane that spoke this time, the expression of contempt that Aro was wearing was mirrored upon her angelic features. "Vampires are very territorial, especially when it comes to our mates. Males are very primal when it comes to providing for their females, infact they take great pride in making sure their mates have everything they need and only expect love and undying devotion in return. You practically crapped on his efforts to cater to your needs by trying to pay him off like his love could be bought. Like he is some common prostitute!"

Julie breathed in sharply, she hated it when Aro was called vulgar names but to find out she was practically doing the same thing horrified her. She was not so narrow minded as to brush this off as some silliness anymore because it obviously meant alot to Aro and made perfect sense to her. He was not a human, he was a Vampire and obviously thought very differently to her when it came to certain things. She had enough hints about his behaviour when it came to intimacy, he growled and purred like some beast in the woods, he defended her and hunted like a predator and was possessive when she had been around other males.

Her face softened as she returned her gaze back to Aro who's eyes had turned completely black through the contact lenses he wore. He still looked very dangerous but Julie didn't let that phase her, she had the feeling he would get worse if she didn't try to mend her error right away. She opened the back passenger door on Aro's side, knelt down and reached for him. Aro growled like a wild animal but didn't shrink away from her, instead he sat there, daring her to come closer.

"I'm so very sorry, Aro." she said to him, her voice soft and full of emotion, her fingers reaching out to stroke his cheek gently. Despite his anger, the Vampire visibly relaxed and after a couple of more strokes begins to purr into her hand. "Please forgive me, my lord. I didn't mean to offend you. I'll do anything to make this up to you."

Aro moaned softly, he did love hearing her say she would do anything for him. It brought up so many ideas of the naughty kind and a smirk began to twitch at him lips. Julie's eyes briefly shifted to Jane who nodded her approval with a ghost of a smile upon her perfectly proportioned, pink lips. Although she wasn't terribly fond of Julie and she did like being close to her Master, she cared for Aro's happiness and if this little human made him happy, she wasn't going to stop it.

Julie took hold of both her mate's hands, standing up straight and attempting to tug him out of her father's car.

* * *

"If you ever change your mind, darling, just come straight back home and I'll change you myself."

"Dad-"

"It's no trouble at all. Just come home and-"

"Don't you think you'll be a tad too busy settling into your new home to put up with me come back?"

They were all at the Sydney International Airport, waiting around for the Private Jet to be ready to receive the Volturi Coven. Aro busied himself by arranging his guard into a formation that would maximize their protection. The twins would lead the way, followed by Aro and Julie and then Afton bringing up the rear. Their luggage had already been taken on board with Aro looking after her carry on that contained her passport and other essentials.

Martin looked down at his little human daughter with a curious look, "New home?"

"When we stopped off at Kurt's Solicitor's Office, they gave me the rest of my inheritance along with the keys to his Mansion." she dug around in the pockets of the white, jacket, hoodie she was wearing and pulled out a ring of shiney keys that she held out for her father to take. "A going away present for you and Renata. I have transferred half of the money I got into your account at the Bank so you'll be sweet for a very long time."

Martin and Renata exchanged looks of awe, "But Julie-"

"Like I said, I was going to make sure you are being looked after. I'm not a greedy person, Dad. You raised me too well." she smiled up at them both. "And I am not so narrow minded to see that Renata is going to be good company for you. I'm sure you don't need me around while you two are trying to get to know each other."

Martin took hold of Julie's arm and jerked his head to the side, indicating that he would like to talk to her away from Renata for a moment. The female Vampire graciously stepped a few paces backwards to give them added privacy although her super hearing could pick up every word of their conversation.

"Honestly, Julie. I'm a bit scared of her." Martin whispered to her and Julie bit her lower lip, stifling a chuckle.

"She's not going to hurt you-"

"No... it's just..."

"Don't you like her?"

Martin shifted his weight from one foot to the other, not believing he was having this sort of conversation with his baby, "She's beautiful, sweetheart. It's just... I'm too old to-"

"Don't talk nonsense, Dad. You look like a new man!" Julie punched his arm playfully, "Besides, it's about time you got yourself someone nice. Goodness knows you have been through enough-"

"How come I'm getting the feeling that you are so accepting of Renata because you want me to accept Aro?" Martin quirked a brow, Julie mirrored him with a knowing smile.

"Is it working?" she quipped, folding her arms and looking very proud of herself. Martin grinned down at her.

"Well, on the upside he seems to really love you and has the facilities to make sure you'll be well looked after... but the downside is that his romantic history leaves alot to be desired. Plus, he is also crazy-"

"Daddy!"

"Oh come now, Julie! Growling at you like an animal, forcing himself onto you and making decisions on your behalf without so much as a how-do-you-do in your direction-"

"It's not like that, Dad! He's actually been the perfect gentleman-"

"On the surface, maybe..." he mumbled, Julie was as stubborn as he was and they could argue until the cows came home. "But if you change your mind-"

"You already said that, Dad."

"Yes, well..." he glanced over at Aro who was now looking in their direction expectantly. Julie's white, trendy carry on slung over his shoulder, a stark contrast to the expensive, dark, Armani suit he was wearing. It reminded him about something else he had seen in Aro's mind. He was a King and naturally was not the one to be lead around, especially by a female. He was the Leader of his Coven and enjoyed the power he had over the whole of Vampire kind. He was no one's lackey... until he met Julie. Since he set eyes on Martin's daughter, he happily catered to her every need, even if it made him lose face infront of his subordinates. If she wanted, Aro would happily bow down before her and elevate her above him in every way possible. He would tear down the world if it would make her happy. Be anything she wanted him to be. He was her loyal, eternal servitor and to displease her in anyway would be the content of his nightmares.

The next thing he knew, Aro was now standing directly behind Julie, beckoning to her with a hand on her shoulder, "Come, cara mia. Our plane is waiting." he smiled down at her before shifting his gaze up to Martin, an unreadable expression on his Godlike face. "Your daughter will be treated like a Queen, Mr Lawson. I promise I'll guard her with my life."

Martin's lungs filled up uselessly with oxygen from the deep breath he made out of habit, "Yes, well. Whatever." He then brought Julie in for a warm hug, well, as warmly as a Vampire could hold a human.

Julie at first settled herself eagerly into the embrace but after a moment, she gasped out of discomfort immediately made Aro reach for her and Martin, jump away cautiously. He had almost forgotten about his new born strength, his hug was liable to completely crush every bone in her small body.

In turn, Julie burst into tears as she said for farewells to her father and his mate before being lead off by Aro. He hugged her securely to his side, still carrying her bag for her while she wept into his expensive suit. He whispered words of love and reassurance, telling her that he wouldn't stop her if she wanted to visit anytime she wanted.

As soon as they settled on the plane, Julie's sobs had subsided to little, quiet sniffles. Aro continued to bundle her up by his side, rubbing her arms soothingly to comfort her. When she lifted her head, he took the opportunity to swoop in for a passionate kiss, resting his fingers underneath her chin to lift her head slightly higher.

Afton was the last to board the plane and by this time, Aro had brought Julie onto his lap. Their kissing obviously becoming so heated that they had forgotten the existence of Jane and Alec who stared at the floor awkwardly. Afton groaned at the display and cleared his throat. "Oh man. Would you two stop that please? You're making me miss Chelsea!"


	17. Chapter 17

The plane ride back was long but less uncomfortable. Infact it was downright surprising to find out that she didn't have to sleep upright in those plush seats but use the private compartments towards the back that had a standard sized single bed with blankets. She had asked why she hadn't been made aware of such a facility sooner and Aro merely smirked at her and said that he didn't want to be denied the privilege of being used as her makeshift bed earlier. The look in his eye only served to remind her that he had every intention of following through with his promise of full blown... intimacy... once they got back to Italy.

When they reached Aro's rooms, Julie was just about ready to fall onto his loveseat, completely drained from the trip. Aro had taken to throwing her onto his back and speeding the rest of the way the moment they stepped into the Castle. Their things sent on ahead from the Airport. When he finally set her back down, dizzy from the quick displacement, it was then her big brown eyes had spotted the king sized bed that hadn't been there before.

It was of a deep shade of walnut with a four poster design and see through curtains propped up and out of the way by elegantly embroidered, cream coloured bands. The sheets were the same shade of cream and the blankets a very dark maroon. It looked very big, very warm and extremely inviting.

She vaguely registered that her luggage was sitting on the loveseat before she past it and stared at the newest piece of furniture. "Oh look. A bed." she said knowing full well she sounded stupid for stating the obvious. Knowing the size of it was too big just to for one, a blush promptly blossomed in her cheeks when she realised that it wasn't there just for sleep.

_Just you wait until I get you back to Italy..._

"You noticed." Aro smirked slightly to himself, his blood red gaze giving it a brief once over before coming to stand behind the human. He dipped his head, his nose coming to rest upon the crown of her head and inhaled her scent deeply with sigh of contentment. He wondered for a moment why he insisted on torturing himself to making his mouth fill with venom and his loins ache with a familiar longing.

"When did this happen?" Julie turned her head to look up at Aro. She noticed that his eyes had turned black again and had come to learn what it meant. The question now was, which would it refer to?

"I ordered it just before we left." Aro bared his teeth at her in a grin likened to the cat who got the cream.

Julie snorted in response, shaking her head slightly and transferring her weight from one foot to the other. Playing it cool, "But how did you know I was going to come back with you?" she quirked a brow at him, "It is a tad pretentious."

"I'm a King, mi amore. I always get my way." Aro advanced upon the girl, honing in on his target like she were a Babe in the woods and he was the Wolf, "In other words, I _never_ take 'no' for an answer..."

The atmosphere was intense, it was practically pulsing all around them as Aro tilted his head down towards Julie who lifted her chin up to meet him halfway. When she thought they were just about to kiss, the Vampire's smirk had returned and he pulled back. He moved a couple of paces away, coming to stand on a particular spot in the room towards the door that got him rather fascinated. Meanwhile, the Human's face turned red at being denied the kiss she thought she was getting and busied herself by going for her luggage.

A strange sense of deja vu began to haunt her, only positions were reversed. And as if Aro had read her mind (although he claimed he couldn't and even so had to be touching her), he began to chuckle softly.

"Do you remember the first time we were in my room?"

Julie looked over at him just as she had finished unzipping the biggest of her bags, "What about it?"

"I was standing, about here." he tapped his foot to emphasize and then point to the spot directly before him, "And you were there, infront of me."

Julie straightened up, curiousity brimming her facial expression, "Yes, I remember." she pursed her lips together. Great, another humiliating moment to top off the one she was going through now, "You threw me over your shoulder like a Caveman and made me take a bath." her tone of voice clearly indicated that she was still stung from his indirect rejection of her.

The smirk was wiped off Aro's face, his hands going behind his back as he moved swiftly over to Julie's side. She was pouting and he pressed his lips to her forehead in an effort to alleviate whatever unpleasantness that was stirring within her. She relaxed but only slightly, "I'm sorry, mi amore. I suppose I was alittle aggressive-"

"Speaking of which, I'm going to have a bath now. I feel dirty." and at that she snatched herself away from Aro's embrace, ripping a towel from her luggage along with a Hair dryer and other toiletries before marching into the bathroom. She didn't know why she was letting such a little thing irritate her but right now she just wanted to be left alone.

As Julie settled into the warm water, her clothing lying in a neater and much drier pile upon the tiled floor, she leaned her head back against the ledge and allowed her mind to wander. She thought back to just about a week ago to the moment Aro had dumped her in the middle of the spa she was now sitting in. He commented that her bashfulness about undressing before him was unjustified because he implied that he had seen naked women before.

How many had he seen? She could only assume that for a handsome and exceedingly charming 3,000 year old Vampire, he had seen many and more far more pleasing than she had looked to him. Although he didn't act like it when they were alone together in the Dual Cab only a couple of days ago. He had gazed upon her as if he had never seen a woman before and her breathing hitched from the memory of the lustful look upon his face. The way he touched her, the way he kissed and caressed her.

She wanted him to touch her like that again.

One of her hands had somehow found their way between her legs and began to make its own yet second rate impression of what Aro had been doing to her that afternoon. Her fingers were obviously not as cool as his touch and normally it would be a turn off. However, his icy digits were strangely pleasant against her hot, sensitive flesh. It made her writhe and moan in ecstasy and such noises were beginning to seep through her lips as she drowned within the memory.

His eyes, black with desire staring up at her from that erotic part between her spread thighs. His tongue slithering over her bundle of nerves expertly-

"Oh my..."

Julie spun her head around and saw that Aro was standing right behind her. His eyes as black as they had been in her memories. She stuttered, her face going beetroot red once more as she tried to cover what she had been doing but it was obvious from the smirk on his face that he had seen.

"Honestly Miss Lawson, I'm offended." he said, chastising her mockingly as he advanced on her, "You can have me whenever you want, you don't need to resort to..." he trailed off, raising his hand and wriggling his fingers to make his point.

The human turned her head away and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to somehow will him away. When the hell did he come in? Damn his Vampiric speed!

"Still shy I see?" he whispered, his lips coming down to kiss the top of her damp head. Although she was freshly washed, she looked marvelously like a drowned cat. She cringed at the picture she must be making to Aro who had taken to stroking her cheek tenderly. "Do hurry, pet. Your Master is waiting for you." he teased and before she could turn around to retort, he was gone.

Pet? Master? What the hell is he going on about?

_"I am usually referred to as 'Master'."_

_"Yes, I know but I'm not going to call you that."_

_"Maybe not infront of other people but when we are in the privacy of our rooms back in the Castle..."_

Oh.

After toweling herself and blow drying her hair, she deliberately took her time brushing her teeth and examining herself critically in the full length mirror in the corner. Nervousness began to set in when she thought about what was waiting for her outside and suddenly regretted not taking in something to change into for bed.

Realising that she couldn't possibly drag this out any longer than she already had, she finally stepped out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom with nothing on but the towel she went in with. She looked up and saw that the room was now bathed in a low, golden, seductive glow courtesy of the candles littered in a neat, widely spaced pattern along the dark carpet below her bare feet.

A small smile tugged at her lips at the display, it looked like Aro made quite an effort to make it a special night. Most men wouldn't bother and it warmed her heart to know that he wasn't one of them. But then again Aro, of course wasn't a regular man.

"Lay down on the bed, get under the covers, and close your eyes, cara mia." came a heated whisper from behind her and again when she turned around, Aro was no where to be seen. Her hand flew up to the tucked in corners of the towel that kept it tightly wrapped out her shaking body.

She swallowed thickly, her mouth feeling paper dry as she slowly made her way towards the aforementioned bed. Meanwhile Aro silently watched, his eyes dark with need from his corner of the room as his little human mate came to stand next to their bed, her back to him. She hesitated for a moment before allowing the towel to fall to the floor, revealing that lovely, little body he had pleasured orally to what seemed to him an eternity ago.

He bit his lower lip, it took all his strength not to rush over to her and take her then and there before she had the chance to carry out the rest of his request. He had this whole night planned for a very long time and he wasn't going to mess it up just because his cock was eager to get this show on the road. A small whimper escaped his mouth when her delectable, nude form disappeared underneath the blankets. He had to remind himself that it was only a matter of time before he got to see her naked again.

As soon as she closed her eyes, it was then Aro moved in and gazed down at his prize. She was lying on her back in the middle of their bed, the blankets covering her up to just below her chin. When they had been together the last time, he didn't want her to take her eyes off him. This time he wanted her to focus on feeling him. Make her beg the way she had begged for him before because it was music to his ears.

Aro crawled up onto the mattress beside her, his weight making it sink in slightly as he smiled lovingly down at her. Her hair was spread all over the pillows and around her face. Her cheeks had a pleasant, pink tinge and her lips looked almost red in the low lights.

Julie could feel the blankets beginning to be pulled away revealing her nakedness. She didn't have time to register the warmth in the air before she felt hands stroking and fondling her breasts, fingers circling the tips making the tender flesh pucker and tighten in response. She let out a gasp, the action making her chest rise and thrust into the cool palms of her unseen lover.

Equally cool lips began to nip at her warm ones teasingly, coaxing another gasp of pleasure to emit from deep within her throat. She was then rewarded with a sweet, very slow kiss, savouring the way Aro's mouth moved ceaselessly against hers.

The juices of her arousal began to gather like dew between her legs and judging from the way Aro hissed softly against her lips, he had noticed. His hand was there before long and began to stroke his fingers over the soft lips of her pussy. Her hips bucked against his hand as the folds of her cunt were parted allowing his finger to poke and rub her little clit back and forth, encouraging the hot fluids forth.

Her legs fell apart in response and she could feel Aro smirking against her mouth before resuming the passionate kiss he had been giving her. He pulled back slightly to speak making her mew from the lose of contact.

"I still remember how good you taste." he whispered, her heart rate increasing at his sensual words. The digit that had been caressing her clit had ventured down towards her slick entrance and slithered inside. Julie whimpered as her innerwalls clamped down around him in that oh-so-tempting, extremely snug fashion. "But, my dear, I crave to be inside you." he added another finger into his minx and her mouth fell open to let out a delicate moan. "I want to feel what it's like to be surrounded by you, my beautiful Bride." He pulled his fingers out of her tight wetness before pushing back in, earning him another slightly louder moan that made his prick throb with jealousy. "Do you want that too?"

Julie nodded, crying out gently, "Please..." he hips moved towards him.

"Please what?"

"Aro."

"No. Call me 'Master'."

Julie tensed around his fingers that slowed down to a maddening pace, "What?"

"You heard me, cara mia. Call me 'Master'." he began to withdraw his fingers making her yelp in protest. "Come on now, coniglietto. My pet, I'm waiting..."

Julie breathed deeply, trying to calm herself down and attempt to think straight but she was far too aroused to allow either to come to pass. Aro sounded so sexy, possessive and downright cruel all at the same time. Does he have any idea what he was doing to her? But of course he does, otherwise he wouldn't be acting this way. Could she really demean herself for the sake of Aro's own sexual satisfaction?

"Why?"

"Because I want to be _your_ Master." he replied, his mouth drifting down her neck. "I want to be the _only one_ that you could ever _want_ and _need_ the way that you are the one I will ever _want_ and _need_. You are my whole universe and I love you so very much..." he planted soft kisses and licks along her throat, making the female moan again, "Become mine because I am yours. I don't want anyone else and I don't want you to want anyone else but me. I'm a very jealous man. Please-"

"Master." she whispered to him and that ache within his chest had returned, making him come in as close as he could to his mate. He didn't want to be apart from her anymore, he could no longer stand the distance.

"Say it again."

"Master." she gasped, reaching for him, "Please, Master."

Aro's lips crushed down upon hers and her arms snapped around his neck, drawing him flush against her quivering body. Yes, his request had a possessive motive but it wasn't at all that she expected. It had nothing to do with making her his slave or what not. He didn't want to be above her, he only wanted to be the Master of her heart.

That request she was more than willing to grant.

"Open your eyes, mi amore." he husked against her lips before pulling away.

She sat up and did just that, opening her eyes and finally taking in the sight of her mate in all his glory. He was indeed a sight to behold; the epitome of male beauty. He was like a Greek statue, perfectly chiseled to supremacy. He was well toned, his muscles were defined and sculptured so he wasn't obnoxiously buff, just handsomely in shape. His pale, flawless skin echoed that of a male model who had been airbrushed to perfection. Out of innocent curiousity, her eyes slid down towards his manhood which stood out proud and erect, pointing upwards towards her. He looked very thick and intimidatingly long which made her instantly afraid.

Despite her fears, she felt her womanhood ache longingly at the sight of her male counterpart and she squeezed her thighs together in response. The heat quickly spread throughout her entire being.

Aro saw the look of fear in her eyes and followed her timid gaze towards his cock. He had an inkling as to why she was suddenly afraid and so kissed her tenderly upon the forehead in an effort to relax her. She mewed softly and leaned into him, "We don't have to if you don't want-"

"I want to." she hurriedly interrupted him, looking up into his darkened eyes pleadingly, "I want to be with you, Master."

He came to lie beside her, pulling her down back onto the bed with him as they resumed their kisses, more rough and hungry then it had been before.

His cock pulsed for attention, the tip already leaking precum as he felt his little Angel's hand snake around the shaft. He stilled himself, pulling away from her mouth momentarily to look down at what she was doing to him. He immediately grabbed her shoulders when he saw that she attempted to slide down his body.

"Dear one-"

"It's okay. I trust you-"

"Don't be so trusting, my sweet..." Aro gasped, touching his forehead to hers. "My strength could- and you already feel incredible- I haven't even-" a surprised moan ripped out from his throat, interrupting him when her hand come down to fondle his already tightened ball sack tenderly. His eyes fell shut again, letting out a wanton low growl, rolling onto his back and luxuriating in the sensations, "Gods..."

The girl took the opportunity to move down his pale, granite-like body, her hand returning to it's previous position until she was eye level with his stiff member. Her wide brown eyes took in the sight of the thick shaft that she was barely able to fully wrap her fingers around and the darkened, spongy head with clear, liquid crystal-like essence oozing from the tip. She stared as if hypnotized, her lips drifting towards the source, tongue darting out to lick up her mate's precum slowly, savouring the sweet, cool taste of him.

Aro's eyes shot open just as Julie's tongue began to swirl around the swollen head of his erection. When she began to shyly take him into her mouth, it was then he forgot the reason why he was trying to stop her, slid his hands into her thick, dark hair and tried to ease her lower.

Julie's mouth had to stretch open to it's limits as she engulfed him, her jaw was already straining and her eyes began to water. She flattened her tongue so it could stroke the broad mast of his prick, while her small hand firmly caressed the rest of him that she just couldn't reach yet. Her mouth was just beginning to get used to his size when he attempted to shove her head down to take more of him in. She felt herself begin to gag slightly as the head nudged the back of her throat.

Aro was not kidding when he said he was strong.

When he finally released her, she pulled back to regain her composure before putting him back in to a comfortable mouthful. Her hands eagerly rubbed the rest of his reproductive organ, briefly wondering how relevant the word 'reproductive' was to someone like Aro. She was sure Vampires couldn't have babies or at least she thought she heard somewhere that they weren't able to. But then again she thought Vampires burnt in the sun and that was a big fat lie, they only sparkled like diamonds making them more beautiful than they already were.

Speak of the devil...

Her eyes slid up to Aro who was moaning and writhing in ecstasy above her. His sheet of long, dark, deceptively black hair spread out on the pillows in casual elegance. His body, although making jerking motions, still managed to come across as graceful and perfectly choreographed. He was so lovely to look at that it almost made her cry. How could he have referred to her as 'beautiful' when he looked absolutely breathtaking?

Her mouth slid back off his member with a soft pop before beginning to run her tongue along the underside lovingly. The man both smelt and tasted so good to her that it had to be a sin. It was all she could do to make him feel as good as he made her feel alittle while back. He hadn't been the only one looking forward to spending some time alone together.

There was a sound of tearing fabric, Aro's fingers destroying the brand new sheets of their bed as if it were mere tissue paper. The girl was clearly born to suck his cock. Although she was inexperienced, she took to orally pleasuring him like a fish to water. The Gods have seen fit to bless him with a virgin who was naturally talented at seeing to his sexual needs immediately.

Maybe he wouldn't have to teach her as much as he thought.

A devilish grin appeared on his face as he looked down at his mate who looked to be thoroughly enjoying herself. She looked so beautiful with her reddened lips running along his hardness, her hot, pink tongue licking the length of the engorged vein that reached the base. He tensed when she began to tentatively lap at his ball sack, her hand jerking his prick rhythmically while doing so.

Thinking back, Aro never thought Julie would ever be doing something like this with him. When he first met her, she seemed so shy and even repelled by him which at the time made him feel inexplicably bad. She shook uncontrollably when he was near her and was liable to have a heart attack when he touched her. It hurt seeing that she didn't want anything to do with him and it became an obsession of his to make her love him. He discovered a long time ago that it wasn't just because of her gift or that she wasn't as easily charmed by him as the others were. It was because he always loved her. He adored this little human. The feeling was there but he never could identify it until a couple of days ago. Now here she was, practically worshiping him the way he always longed for her to. She was so bold, seemingly unable to get enough of him and it only pushed him closer to his impending orgasm.

He could already feel it building up within him, the overwhelming need to...

"Julianne!" Aro cried out in unadulterated bliss, his back arching right off the bed. His hands ripping into the mattress and mangling the springs beneath the foam support. His eyes had squeezed shut as stream after stream of his thick, creamy load sprang forth from the tip. He could hear her gasp and moan, tongue licking encouragingly at the head of his twitching cock.

Whilst coming down from his high, his eyelids fluttered open just in time to see his love's mouth poised at his manhood. He let out a groan of delight when he saw that she had managed to capture most of his cum and was in the process of swallowing his essence down.

Like a good girl.

Julie licked up the rest of her mate's cum from the back of her hand while going down to clean off any excess that had trickled down the shaft. She hummed softly, he tasted divine and found that she was drinking him down more greedily than she ever thought she would. She was sure to pull back just as it looked like that the Vampire was going to have his orgasm, remembering his warning about knocking out her teeth when he lost control. Her hand pumped him throughout his hot release, licking encouragingly at his tip.

She crawled back over to his side, kissing his forehead, "Master..." she whispered to him as he reached for her, taking her by the hips. She stroked his beautiful face, her own blissful little smile gracing her lips as she gazed adoringly down at him. "I love you, Aro."

Aro purred sensuously, pushing her hips until she was lying on her back and he was hovering on top of her. His smirk returning to full gusto as his darkened eyes looked over his female with deep love and lust.

Julie's face was flushed, infact her entire body had a soft, rosy glow about it that only heightened her delicious scent for Aro. At that moment he was once again reminded of what he had seen in Edward's mind about being with Bella before they were going to make love. Edward wanted to be with Bella so badly, just as Aro wanted to be with Julie more than anything in the world. He was determined to make sure he was careful and during it all, he thought he had been until he saw the bruises all over his new wife's body the next morning.

Although he knew it would make the nervousness he felt even worse, he suddenly thought about himself as Edward and Julie as Bella and how he would feel seeing that he had made her look like he had been beating her. Aro could never think about lying a violent hand upon his beloved but knew that no matter how careful he'll try to be, Julie was still going to suffer some sort of injury. He had human lovers before and as despicable as it had been, he really didn't care as much about being careful because he was going to feed on them afterwards anyway.

But Julie...

"Aro?" Julie reached out to her Vampire lover and stroked his cheek softly, trying to get his attention. He turned his fearful gaze back towards her, his eyes once more stark crimson, "What's wrong, love?"

He turned his head away, already berating himself mentally for his cowardice, "I-I don't want to hurt you, my darling." he whispered, his velvety voice cracking slightly. The idea of causing her more pain than he already had was already more than he could bear.

Julie winced at the tone of voice he was using. She never heard him like this, so vulnerable and raw in his emotions other than when he professed to loving her. It only served to make her want him all the more. He didn't have to be afraid because she was going to love him no matter what happened. In her mind he could never hurt her enough to make her want to turn away him. She would rather die first.

She sat herself up and began to plant tender kisses along his neck and jawline, slowly making her way towards his lips. He withdrew at first but Julie wouldn't have it, she went for his mouth again and Aro gave in. The kiss immediately became a frenzy of desperate need and passion.

Aro found himself nestled between her warm thighs and his erection pulsed with excitement. He could already feel her hot wetness against him and his natural male desires and instincts took over from that point on. He was still fearful about hurting her but he could not deny her pleasure.

It was about time he showed her just how much he loved her.

He pulled back, his eyes black once more with arousal. Her pussy was pink, hot and glistened enticingly. He took hold of his stiff member and positioned himself at her entrance, the head of his cock shined with her juices once the contact was established and his whole being quivered with delight.

One thrust and Aro was inside of her. The first reaction from Julie was relief the suspense was finally over, the next was shock and then the dreaded; pain.

Julie let out a yelp of agony, her breathing coming in little, panicked gasps. It stabbed and stung terribly, like she was being ripped apart from the abdomen. He stretched her to the limits, he was so big inside her, filling her up completely and then some. Her finger nails dug into his forearms but she may as well be scratching into concrete.

Aro bit back a moan and froze immediately. She was deliciously tighter than he had anticipated and he almost came at once. Her innerwalls were so slick and squeezed him in all the right places, pulling at him and sucking him as deep as he was allowed. He easily nudged the depths of her molten core and the temptation to begin fucking her in earnest was powerful.

But then he saw the torment in his mate's features and let out a wounded cry of his own. He had virgins before and knew that it took time for them to adjust to having sex for the first time. However it was his fears manifesting into real life and he began to kiss every patch of skin he could reach apologetically.

"Cara mia..." he whispered to her, running his lips up and down the side of her face soothingly, "We can stop-?"

"No!" she gasped, wincing slightly. Her hips wriggling ever so slightly trying to adjust to his invading length. The pain was beginning to dull, washing out with every second that ticked by. She sobbed softly, tears pricking her eyes but she was determined to see the pain through. "Don't go-"

"Never." he moaned softly to her, taking the small girl into his arms and cuddling her against his cold body. She quivered in his arms but he noticed that she wasn't as tense anymore, that she was beginning to relax around him although her pussy told a different story. It compressed in a way that made her unbearable tightness all the more tempting to spill another of his load.

When she finally nodded her head, it was then Aro pulled out until the head was still inside her before pushing all the way back in. This time, instead of whimpering in pain, she let out her own small and very soft moan of ecstasy. His thick shaft was rubbing firmly along her wet, inner muscles in a way that began to make her burn pleasantly.

Aro's mouth was on hers again and they kissed tenderly, his hips moving against her in a firm, rocking motion that increased the delicious sensations between them. The sound of flesh slapping against flesh only served to encourage their movements. Soon her hips were rising to meet his thrusts which were becoming harder and more intense, her breasts bouncing hypnotically from the impact.

The Volturi King pulled back to stare down at her, he didn't want to miss a thing and when he realised that her eyes were shut, he growled disapprovingly. "Look at me, my love!" he grasped, planting a hand on either side of her hips and pushing forward, making her pelvis rise so her legs were forced into the air.

Julie's eyes opened and she looked up at Aro who's dark gaze and dominating position between her thighs almost made her climax right then and there. If one looked up the word 'sexy' in the dictionary, the description would consist of one word; Aro. He looked incredibly gorgeous in ecstasy and only served to bring on another gush of juices from her center.

His long hair fell forward as he leaned in close to her, his predatory stare boring into her eyes. Her dark brown hues were emitting sensual electricity that fed the fire within him. He loved looking into her eyes because for a moment he thought he could see her soul, break into that silent mind of hers and see every secret she harboured. He saw only beauty within her and he craved to lose himself within and never get out. Because within her is where he belonged and if he had his way he would stay inside her forever.

His fingers clawed into the mattress below them as if he were running his fingers through sand. There was the sound of fabric tearing amongst their moans and foam fragments began to gather in Aro's palms. His eyes slid down to the damage he had done but he was immediately distracted when within his peripheral vision, he saw how his prick disappeared inside his love's tight little pussy. He focused on that instead, the sight of their intimate connection driving him wild with lust.

His hand's relinquished the battered mattress and went straight for the headboard, his grip easily leaving the expensive piece of bedroom furniture in irreparable ruin. He made splinters of the framework as he pushed in and out of his little human, thrusting faster and faster, encouraged on by her moans of need.

Julie's inner muscles pulsed seductively around his generous girth, lifting her hips in time with his thrusts. His body thwacked into hers repeatedly like she was slamming against a stone wall but it felt incredibly good to her. Infact it felt too good and she could feel herself begin to fall over the edge of blissful oblivion, disappearing into the depth of complete ecstasy.

"Aro... Aro!" she cried out, tensing around him, reaching up to wrap her arms around his middle and attempt to pull him down against her.

Aro was pushed over his own edge when he heard the way she moaned his name and he spilled into her. He pumped his cum deeply into her, coating her insides with his rich fluid until she was close to overflowing with his seed. He had never come this much or this hard before. It was the stuff of fantasies.

"Julie!" he moaned, coming down and biting into the pillow beside her head. The temptation to bite her was now overwhelming. The smell of her cum and her blood was a lethal combination and it made his throat burn in a way that made him feel like he hadn't been fed in a hundred years.

Stuffing and feathers flew everywhere as he started to slowly come down from his high. Julie moaning and whimpering softly before him adoringly. Her small hands traveling up and down the sides of his body, her legs now firmly wrapped around his torso. Her warm, feminine curves settled warmly against him as he came to lie himself down next to her.

"Ti amo. Sarò sempre il vostro Maestro." (_I love you. I will always be your Master_) Aro murmured into her ear as Julie drifted off to sleep in his arms. "Per sempre." (_Forever_).


	18. Chapter 18

"So, you're finally back." Caius rose one golden brow as Aro entered the throne room looking quite content and very pleased with himself. Marcus, who sat slumped in his seat as per usual, moved his head slightly with that same knowing look he wore about a week ago but only more prominent. He held out his hand, palm up to Aro as he approached and allowed him to brush his fingertips over the exposed flesh briefly before he sat down.

In his mind, Aro saw that Marcus recognised a fully developed mating bond that had been a mere flickering thread of white light before that joined him and the little human together. Now it shown bright and unbreakable and reminded him strongly of his own bond with his late wife. A pang of that same old guilt assaulted Aro's heart before he settled and readied himself to receive any updates during his absence in Australia. He would have liked to have stayed in bed with Julie but Caius was insistent in speaking with him.

"Have I missed much?" Aro chirped happily, a indomitable smile tugging wildly at his lips.

"Nevermind about what you missed. Why were you gone for so long? Surely Australia wasn't that interesting to warrant such a prolonged stay." Caius retorted, crossing a leg over the other and lounging quite elegantly in his throne to Aro's left.

Aro didn't want to talk about what happened with Julie's father and why Renata was left behind. He was sure the blonde had noticed her absence by now and if not, he would very soon. Instead he chose to start with the good news. "I'll be taking a new bride."

"That little human pet of yours?"

It was Aro's turn to raise a brow at Caius, "Her name is _Julianne_."

"You've only known her for a week."

Aro sighed happily, not going for the bait that Caius was obviously dangling before him. He was far too blissful in his current state to want to get involved with anything negative. He was on a sugar rush of a high and he wasn't going to let anyone rain on his parade.

"Yes, well, I've always been a bit fast." he chuckled, grinning like an idiot.

The blonde smirked in response, "I hope you had the good sense to use protection, brother."

Aro blinked, what was that supposed to mean? He motioned for Caius to hold out his hand because he had a sneaking suspicion what he may mean but wanted to make sure due to discretion. The moment contact was made, Aro saw that Caius had heard their cries of passion last night. Infact he wouldn't be the least bit shocked if the whole Castle copped an earful of their amorous activities.

Caius had been reading in the library and heard the commotion a level below him when they all arrived back from their trip. Afton excused himself to hurry off to his wife while the twins retired to their separate living quarters. An hour later he was making his way towards Aro's rooms when he heard the Earth shattering moans signalling their climax. Of course, Caius had long gotten used to Aro's active sex life and had walked in on his own fair share of shows. But somehow it was different this time. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but whatever it was, it made him immediately turn and walk awkwardly in the opposite direction. This vision was also accompanied by thoughts of concern that Aro wasn't being 'careful'. Now that they knew it was possible for a Vampire male to get a Human female pregnant, things may get complicated to disastrous very quickly.

Aro took his hand back and pursed his lips together. The thought of getting Julie pregnant was both a pleasurable and terrifying thought. On the one hand, he could finally have children of his own despite the theory that Vampires could never reproduce. It would enable him to live out part of his human fantasy with her which would be absolutely delightful. But on the other hand, from Edward's memories of Bella's pregnancy, it was a quick and very dangerous development. The human body was not equipped to bearing a Vampire's offspring and although Bella miraculously survived long enough to be turned, the possibility of death was still extremely high.

"I believe we will able to handle the situation alot more smoothly if we were to be blessed that way." Aro finally replied, his expression hardening defensively. Well, there goes his good mood. "I will know what to expect."

Caius' smirk took on a sadistic turn as he cocked his head to the side. "I wonder how your old friend Kurt would feel about you copulating with his 'daughter' if he were still alive? That racket was loud enough to wake the dead."

The raven haired King rolled his eyes at the mention of Julie's surrogate father's name. Martin, her biological father, was hard enough to convince that he was the perfect prospective husband for her. Kurt would have been downright impossible if he were around. He remembered how feral the Austrian Vampire had become when Aro dared mention wanting to meet her. He was obviously fearful that he would rape and murder Julie the way his biological daughter had been. Aro was many things but a rapist - never! Infact it insulted him to know that Kurt automatically assumed that he would stoop as low as to force his attentions onto the human female in such a violent manner.

_You're not good enough for her._

That was the one sentence that Kurt said in his mind the first time he saw Julie. It was like he knew about Aro's instant attraction towards her, the mating pull as Marcus would put it. It irked him how Martin echoed that sentence the night he awoke as a newborn and caught his daughter in his arms. But then again, his power of absorbing gifts could have something to do with it.

Upon this uncomfortable train of thought, his mindset changed to a more malicious one to combat this. He thought back to his hallucination of jealousy and anger after he found out that Kurt left Julie everything in his Will. How a 'manifestation' of his spirit came to mock him. If the afterlife was exactly how religion and superstition described it to be, than he wondered if the ghost of Kurt, in his obsession with his daughter's doppelganger, followed Julie back to Italy. If he had seen exactly what Aro did with her last night.

A evil, little smirk that rivaled Caius' appeared upon his lips as he pictured how upset Kurt would have looked to see her having sex with him. The pain and torment of seeing Aro place his so called 'filthy hands' upon her.

_Kurt would have been grief stricken and absolutely livid that he couldn't do anything about it. He would have been forced to do nothing else but watch as she wantonly sucked off his murderer. Made to helplessly stand by as Aro eagerly took her virginity. _

_In the midst of their passion, he would look at the former CEO of NEO Tech straight in the face and give him one of his wicked smiles as she reached for him. One that clearly said, 'You may have won the battle but lost the war!'_

_"You bastard." Kurt would have hissed, unable to tear his eyes away from the scene as his little Julie moaned and clung to Aro._

_"Oh but listen to her, Kurt. She loves it!" Aro would whisper tauntingly in between his own cries of pleasure, his gasps becoming more laboured as he neared orgasm. He would turn his head back to gaze down at her affectionately, his eyes dark with desire. "She loves me! I'll be the perfect husband for her."_

_Kurt would have growled furiously in protest, his angelic face twisted in rage. It would only make Aro fuck his little Bride-to-be faster and more passionately than before._

_"Stop it!" he would plead. "She's too young!"_

_As soon as Julie achieved her climax, her wails of sheer ecstasy filling the room, it would be then Aro would really lay it on, "She sounds good when she's cumming!" he howled in relish, "She makes me want to cum too! I'm going to cum inside her!" he began to laugh manically, drowning out Kurt's snarls as he did just that, moving his thighs apart so his deceased enemy could see it happening. His seed getting pumped into her heavenly, virgin orifice. Her muscles naturally tugged at his spasming reproductive organ, milking every single drop he had to give her._

_Pay back was a bitch, wasn't it?_

When he brought himself back to reality, he found that his cock was straining inside his dark slacks causing him to cross his legs over. He couldn't hold back his natural yearning for the emotional and physical desire for his mate again, a need that shall never be distinguished.

"Needless to say we can cancel the Ball?" Marcus rasped beside Aro and he blinked in response. He had forgotten about the Ball!

It had been in preparation for months, it pretty much started straight after the news of Sulpicia's passing. Aro would be needing a new Queen and mate and so a sort of singles party was to be held a couple of days from now. The same sort of event was attempted for Marcus about a millenia ago but he refused to attend.

However this was of course organised before he met Julie which now rendered such a social gathering unnecessary. "That's a given, brother."

"No. It's too late to cancel." Caius said, that smirk of his never leaving his flawless features, "The invitations have already been sent-"

"Then it shall become an engagement party!" Aro grinned, making lemonade of out this lemon of a problem. His face broke out into his usual bout of cherry, enthusiasm that he was famous for. "It shall be a splendid evening! I'll have to take dear Julie out to get a dress, I think I'll like to see her in red tonight." and at that he hopped out of his seat and headed straight for the double doors which open up promptly for him by the guards.

* * *

Julie drifted back into consciousness, her eyes opening slowly the next morning as the sunlight streamed in through the windows. She felt a small, sleepy smile tug upon her lips as the memories of the previous night bloomed within her euphoria hazed mind. She went to stretch as she yawned but winced, her body aching as if it had just ran a few hundred miles.

She sat up, careful not to aggravate the stiffness in her limps as some stray feather fragments and fluff floated around her before settling back down upon the ruined sheets. The girl fought back another smile as she fingered the tear marks before rolling forward, swinging her legs over the edge of the battered mattress and got up. She tugged the blanket off the bed and wrapped the thick material around her shoulders before making her away over to bathroom to check out her reflection.

Her hair was of course all mussed from sleep and the erotic events from last night. She opened the blanket to reveal her nude form and her eyes were immediately drawn to the dark bruises upon her inner thighs, hips and on her shoulders. She would have been scared if it weren't for knowing how she got them in the first place and instead she giggled softly and blushed.

Gosh, she was so juvenile.

"Julianne?"

Julie turned her head upon hearing Aro's sensuously silky voice floating in from the other side of the Bathroom door. She immediately covered herself up, padded towards the door and opened it to see the Volturi Head carrying a silver tray with a plate of bacon and eggs with a side of sausages and toast.

"Oh cara mia, I wanted to surprise you!" he mock pouted, raising the tray to emphasize, "I was hoping to serve you breakfast in bed."

He was a King. The King of all Vampire kind and he wanted to serve her breakfast in bed like he was her lowly slave? Got guilt?

"Oh, sorry, love!" she smiled up at him and at that she hitched up her blanket and hurried towards the bed to lay back down for him. However the hem caught on her foot enough to pull down her shoulder and reveal one of her mementos from their night together.

Aro hissed inwardly at the angry bruise upon the curve between her neck and shoulder, quickly putting down the breakfast tray he brought in for his mate and flitted over to her at once. He ripped the blanket clean off her body and saw the rest of the damage he had done to his delicate human. A wave of remorse crashed over him and he let out a wounded howl at the sight of it all.

Julie spun around, shocked that Aro would be so invasive of her privacy but when she saw the look on anguish warring on his Godlike face, she came immediately to his aid. She raised a hand to touch his face while his eyes stared in horror at the marks she sported around her nether regions.

"I'm sorry, cara mia-"

"Don't say that!" Julie placed her free hand to her lips and made a shushing gesture. She didn't want to hear that Aro regretted making love to her. She saw the experience as the best night of her life, "Please don't-"

"Julianne, look!" he gestured pointedly at the bruises upon her body.

Julie pursed her lips together in response, "I'm fine, Master. I'll heal."

Aro's eyes twitched slightly wider, a shiver going down his spine the moment his title passed her lips. She evidently was using it as a term of endearment. The anguished look on his face instantly replaced with something wild, almost primal as his ruby gaze raked her body, the fact that she was completely nude before him finally hit home. His male instincts flared up and his inner beast purred at the vision before him.

He began to slowly advance upon her, like a Lion stalking his prey, "What did you just call me?"

She stayed were she was, frozen on the spot as he came closer to her. She was suddenly extremely self conscious and raised her arms to cover herself up in the absence of the blanket. Aro let out a disapproving growl, he didn't want her to hide her beauty from him. She was his to look at and he should be able to gaze upon her whenever he liked.

Julie lowered her limbs and he immediately wound his arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him.

"Say it again, cara mia." he husked against her forehead and she trembled against him. Her small hands coming up to take hold of the lapels of his dark coat to steady herself in his possessive embrace.

She swallowed quickly and whispered, "Master..."

Aro crushed his lips down onto hers, his cold mouth making her comparably hot mouth tingle pleasantly. His tongue darted out and swept seductively over her lower lip, demanding entrance to which she immediately obliged. She let out a soft moan of gratification, the bruises on her body evidently forgotten as he swept her up into his arms and laid her back down upon their shambles of a bed.

But all too soon, he pulled away from her arms and she whimpered from the loss of contact. He smirked mischievously as he went to retrieve the breakfast tray he had brought in for her, giving Julie time to cover herself with the less mangle bit of the bedsheets. Although he hated to see her nude beauty disappear from view, he knew he would have plenty of time to admire her afterwards.

"We'll be going out today, mi amore. There is going to be a Ball held here in the Castle and I would like to buy you a dress-"

"But I can buy my own-"

Aro snarled indignantly and she immediately shut her mouth. His reaction brought about a flashback to how upset he got when she tried to reimburse him for all his kindnesses back at the Bank. She never wanted to see him look like that again, it both frightened and broke her heart. She just had to keep telling herself that he was not a human, he was a Vampire. He was proud and very possessive of her. What was okay for her could be a severe insult to him and so she had to refrain from anything that may bring out a negative reaction.

But she couldn't treat him like an animal!

As quickly as his anger came, it dissaparated and he fell to his knees beside her, nuzzling into her neck apologetically. "Dear one, Io sono il tuo papà zucchero. Mi permetta di prendere cura di te." _(I am your sugar daddy. Let me take care of you.)_

Damn it, she would have to learn how to speak Italian. She wanted to understand him when he spoke the native tongue because whenever he did, it turned her into putty in his hands.

Damn him.

"I don't know what you said but whatever makes you happy. I'm happy."

* * *

"What if they don't like me?"

"They have no choice but to like you."

"That doesn't really bring me any comfort, Aro."

Julie had dressed herself up to impress, choosing to wear a version of her work clothes but instead of a skirt, she wore black leggings and thigh high black boots (to which Aro purred at the mere sight of). The jacket was a feminine version of Aro's, of course more fitted to her figure with a pinstriped, white dress shirt worn underneath. Her long dark hair was worn out, brushed over the shoulder to lie casually over her front.

Aro lead her towards the throne room with his arm snugly wound around her waist and upon their approaching King, the guards immediately opened the double, mahogany doors for them. Marcus and Caius turned their heads towards the arrivals and Julie bowed her head down in bashfulness. She could feel the weight of their stares, passing judgements upon her before she even got a chance to speak.

Aro gave her waist a squeeze of reassurance as they came to a halt before his brothers. They stood infront of the steps leading up onto the platform. Julie raised her head and her attention was immediately drawn to the haunty look that the blonde sported, his sharp gaze looking her up and down critically. He raised a brow at her and her words caught in her throat, she was meaning to say a polite greeting but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She was absolutely paralyzed with fear that he induced within her and she pressed herself up against Aro's side.

"Bounjourno, Miss Julie."

Julie's eyes then snapped towards the tragic looking brunette Vampire that sat the opposite end to the terrifying blonde. Although his facial expression was still etched in sadness, there was a flicker of kindness and understanding in his eyes that she found far more comforting. She smiled timidly over at him as Aro brushed his lips over her temple in approval.

"These are my brothers that I told you about, cara mia." Aro said, waving his hand over to the nice brunette first, "This is Marcus." and then he gestured over to the blonde who stared stoney faced down upon her, "And this is Caius."

"Hello. It's lovely to meet you both." she said quietly, her body shaking in nervousness.

"Oh look. She talks." Caius' lip curled into a sneer and Aro shot him a look of warning that clearly said, 'Be nice to her!'. The blonde rolled his eyes in response, clearly thinking of it all as ridiculous before straightening up with a visible sigh of annoyance, "You are welcome to Volterra." he wasn't looking at her, instead he seemed suddenly very interested in his fingernails.

"You have to forgive Caius, my dear. He's just very reserved." there was a hint of a growl in his voice as if he was embarrassed by his brother's disrespectful behaviour. Caius scoffed but didn't dignify his excuse with an answer. "Come!"

Aro pulled Julie up with him onto the platform and brought her over to the empty throne in between Marcus and Caius. Aro sat himself down leaving Julie to stand awkwardly before him. She turned on the spot, clearly confused on what she should do now. Should she ask for a chair? Was she to sit on the ground? Or should she remain standing?

There was a soft chuckle and Julie's attention was drawn back to Aro who patted his lap and held out his arms to her.

Oh. She was to sit on him?

Caius rolled his eyes and muttered darkly to himself while a ghost of a smile played along Marcus' tight lipped mouth. Julie moved forward, turned around and backed up onto Aro who took hold of her hips and guided her down until she was firmly seated on his hard legs. She flushed scarlet at being in such an intimate position with her mate, especially when he wrapped his arms around her and thrust her against his body.

"You're allowing her to sit on top of you?" Caius drawled, shaking his head in disgust. "Placing a human above you? As if she is superior-?"

"She is superior." Aro cooed, nuzzling his cool nose into her cheek. Julie bit her lower lip shyly, shaking her head as she flushed a deeper shade of red which got him giggling madly at her.

"Oh!" Caius' hand flew up to his nose as if he was just assaulted with a foul smell, "How could you stand to be so close to her, brother? She makes me thirsty."

Julie dared a peek over at the blonde Vampire and saw that his eyes have gone coal black, signalling hunger. This scared her and got her heart beating faster. His tone of voice was savage and he spat out every word like it left an awful taste in her mouth. She began to fidget upon Aro's lap to get away from Caius but his grip upon her waist refused to grant her silent request. No matter how distressed she had gotten. She felt she already failed to impress his brothers and there was no use in her prolonging her stay.

"Caius, you are unfortunate!" Marcus croaked gently from his seat, prompting Aro to look over at him in mild surprise. Usually he would remain quiet while Aro and Caius did all the talking. If he ever had anything to say he always kept it to himself and was always off in a little world of his own. This was the first time he paid more attention to the present happenings in a very long time. "Leave the girl be."

Julie shifted her gaze over to Marcus who regarded her with a sense of fondness that would only be present upon a family relative or a close friend. She hardly knew him and here he was defending her honour like he had known her for years. The little human couldn't help but feel a sense of favour towards him in return and smiled at Marcus in gratitude.

Marcus leaned over the arm of his chair towards her, "Have you always lived in Norwood, my dear?"

"No, I lived in a small town about an hour away called Taybrook. It was more city like than Norwood was. I moved to Norwood a couple of years ago as a fresh start." she couldn't help but feel like she was boring the lives out of these immortals and so cleared her throat to ask her own questions. "Have you all always lived in Volterra?"

"No child, we all originated from ancient Greece."

She blinked, "You're all Greek?"

"Is there a problem?" Caius snapped defensively and Julie shrunk back against Aro who let a displeased growl, his arms coming to hug her shoulders to himself.

"N-No. I just... why not stay in Greece? Why move to Italy? Not that there is anything wrong with that. Italy is lovely. I'm just curious."

"The same reason why you moved away from Taybrook to Norwood. We wished for a fresh start." Caius replied, again turning his attention away from Julie rudely. She in turn couldn't help but feel bad that she was failing so miserably at making Caius like her. This was Aro's family after all and if she was unwelcome, then it was only a matter of time before she would be turned away and be sent back home.

Time to change the subject.

"So... what is this Ball for? What are we celebrating?"

"Our engagement, mi armore." Aro said reaching up to stroke his fingers through her hair. "I want everyone to see what I beautiful Bride I have."

Julie blushed again and looked down into both of their laps. "More like what a handsome Groom I am lucky enough to have." she turned her head towards him and smiled, tilting her head up to kiss his marble like cheek.

Aro cradled her against him like she was his most precious of possessions, purring seductively into her back. She bit back a soft moan, biting her lower lip hard to resist the temptation of vocalizing her pleasure. Before she got to know him, she would have protested feverishly against this. She would have been trying with all her might to push away from him and run as fast as her legs could carry her. Sometimes she wondered how it all ended up like this. Why she craved for his touch when a mere week ago, it made her want to roll over and die. Now the thought of staying here with Aro forever was a proposition she couldn't refuse when before it had terrified her.

_"When can I go home?"_

_"Never."_

_"Never? What do you mean 'never'?"_

_"You will remain here forever. That's what the intended meaning is."_

Oh yes.


	19. Chapter 19

"Are your brothers married?"

"Why? Would you rather marry one of them instead of me?"

Julie rolled her eyes, smiling up at him and Aro grinned teasingly down at her in turn, "I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer."

"Caius is married, Marcus is widowed."

"Oh no. For how long?"

Internally Aro grew uneasy but on the surface he managed the perfect poker face, "For a very long time."

Julie felt another wave of sadness for Marcus. It would explain why he always looked so miserable when she had seen him. There was some life flickering in his eyes when they talked in the throne room but the sorrow was still the dominate emotion in his disposition. That poor man was obviously still grieving his wife's loss and it was romantic yet heart breaking at the same time.

"What did you think of them?" Aro prompted her, bringing Julie out of her thoughts.

"Marcus is lovely. A very sweet man. Caius is-" she cut herself off, trying to find the words to describe her feelings about him truthfully but nicely. "Different."

Aro snorted, "Come now, my dear. Be honest." he knew that Caius always came across as the least likeable of the three Kings. Infact most of the hate that was generated towards them were all because of his brother's tendency to be ruthless.

"I don't think that man likes me."

"Of course he likes you-"

"Don't lie, Aro. That man hates my guts."

"'Hate' is a very strong word, my love. I _don't_ think he hates you." Aro cocked his head to the side, "He just takes some time to warm up."

The little human shrugged, convinced that she could have eternity and Caius would still look his nose down upon her like she was something disgusting that he had just stepped in. He was cold and distant the entire time they sat together in the throne room. By the time they excused themselves, she was sure that he would have murdered her right then and there if it weren't for Aro.

"What is this Ball for?" Julie wasn't fooled, the timing of the Ball was far too sudden for it to have anything to do with celebrating their engagement. Infact technically they weren't even betrothed properly in the first place. It was practically thrust upon her by Aro. Of course he had asked her on the night that her father attacked him but she never gave him an answer. Come to think of it, she never really got a chance to.

On the other hand, she would love to get married someday. As a child she fantasized about living the romantic dream that was alive in almost every girl's mind. Of course it was before she went to school and found out how horrible boys could be. But despite her terrible experiences, some tiny part of her hoped that she could find a man who would be good enough to her to prove her wrong.

Aro did more than that. Infact she fancied he had a TARDIS of his own, just like the Doctor and he travelled back in time and altered her past so the pain had been erased. He made her forget about the bullies on the playground and her loneliness.

Aro stiffened next to her, he really didn't want to tell her the original purpose of the Ball in question but he couldn't lie to his mate either. Most of the guests that were invited were all known Bachelorettes, the rest were allies to the Volturi. It was to be expected that they would be all vying for his attention and he dreaded to think how Julie would react. Of course he wouldn't give anyone else a second glance but it didn't stop his worrying. The first time Aro expressed interest in finding a mate of his own, he didn't wish to find his match in another Vampire. Back then he feared it would complicate his plans. The second time, Aro was more or less indifferent. He was very much secured in his dominance over their world so complications would be nonexistent.

His turned his burgandy gaze towards Julie and instead of answering her question, he decided it would be best to change the subject. They were to go out once the sun became absent to go dress shopping. He knew Julie well enough by now to know that she didn't already own a gown nice enough for such a formal event. "I think you'll look nice in red, if your blushing is anything to go by." he smiled cockily down at her and the little human pulled her own version of a duck face.

"Aro. You're avoiding the question."

"Maybe blue would be better, a deep midnight blue. It will go nicely with your lovely, dark hair."

Julie blinked and looked on ahead of her, they were strolling through the many corridors of the Castle. Every now and again they would pass a random Guard who would nod at them politely being going on their way. She hadn't been introduced to any of the other members of the Volturi other than their escorts in Australia and Aro's brothers to which she found out weren't really his biologically. They were more business associates with a close, familial-like bond.

"Please answer me," she said, now fearing what the true purpose of this party was going to be. "What was it originally for?"

The Vampire suddenly grew irritated. The girl was persistent to the point of being blind to another's obvious discomfort. Sometimes being blunt was the only way to end something, "This discussion is over!" Aro stared her down and Julie winced as if she had just been punched in the gut. His bark of a command echoed and bounced off the stone walls around them, amplifying the effect. "Is that understood?"

Julie's expression became pale and withdrawn, she stared at him as if she was seeing him for the first time. After a few minutes of shocked silence, she turned and hurried on ahead. She knew that Aro could easily catch up to her if he so wished but only went at a human pace for her own benefit. He was thoughtful like that but at the moment, she just wanted to run away and be alone. She didn't want him to be mad at her and it felt terrible to have him suddenly snap at her out of the blue.

She then became distracted when a painting that depicted the man in question with a breathtakingly beautiful woman perched on his lap caught her attention. She had wavy hair of dark brown cascading down her shoulders, pencil thin eyebrows and lips the shade of red wine. Her eyes being also red and her skin being deathly pale of course made her a Vampire and Julie wondered briefly if she could ever look as stunning as one herself.

"Is that her?" she asked Aro as he caught up to her, pointing at the young woman in the painting.

"Who?"

"Your first wife."

Aro looked up at it lazily. "Yes. That's Sulpicia."

Julie felt sick all of the sudden. The woman was a knock out! She made the likes of Miranda Kerr or Jennifer Hawkins look absolutely plain in comparison. How could Aro go from Miss Universe to plain, little nothing like her?

"She's gorgeous." Julie sighed miserably next to him. Her self esteem reaching an all time low in that moment. First, Aro yelling at her and now this.

"Yes, I suppose so." Aro replied cocking his head to the side in nonchalance. To him, Sulpicia was no more lovely than any other female Vampire he had ever met. She looked good by his side as his wife, no doubt about that, but now it all seemed so artificial. At the time he had been happy with his choice in spouse but as the years went on, the novelty inevitably and very quickly wore off.

He looked down at Julie and thought about how she would look by his side as his second wife. She had expressed her insecurity about her presentation in such a position but he honestly had no idea why she would be so worried. He was proud to be with her and had no doubt in his mind that she carry her place beside him well. The only thing he found wrong with the concept was his regret that she wasn't his first.

Aro thought back to the time he met Sulpicia. If Julie had been around, Sulpicia would have a worthy challenger for his affections. Infact he was certain that he would end up courting the smaller female instead. If he had known back then that she was in his future, he would've abandoned his plans and been happy to wait. It was only a couple of millenia. Very trivial.

His mind switched to another scenario; what if Sulpicia was still alive? Would Julie still have gone for him?

Given her tendency to show loyalty to Kurt and her Father and that she had rejected him before, the answer unfortunately for Aro, would have been most likely a 'no'. Julie had honour and integrity and would have sooner run away from him rather then run away to be with him. No matter how strong the mating pull was. Although he wasn't a stranger to cheating, he couldn't imagine running back and forth between the two women. Julie obviously wasn't meant to be his Mistress but to be his Wife, a privilege that he had foolishly and regrettably given to Sulpicia because she was born long before her.

And in that sense, thank God Sulpicia wasn't around.

He found himself to be stroking the human's cheek tenderly as she looked down at the ground. Thinking back to that scenario, he wouldn't have been allowed to touch her the way he was now. To make love to her the way he had last night. Just to have her to call his own. Stephen would have probably taken his place in such a offending predicament and the mere thought made his internal beast roar angrily with rage.

"Julianne." Aro whispered to her and she turned her head up to regard him, "If I had known you were in my future-"

"How did you two meet?" he knew she was still hurt from the way he had spoken to her before hand and now was just trying to make conversation. "What was she like?"

"I don't want to talk about her." Aro replied finally, shaking his head. His dark brows slightly pinched together. "She's my past. You're my future." Her brown eyes bored back up into his calculatingly and for a moment he feared that she was second guessing being with him. "I'm sorry for shouting at you, mia amore."

Julie remained silent, seemingly not hearing him as she began to walk away. Aro's dived for her hand and tugged her back to him. He pressed himself up against her smaller body and buried his nose into her hair, inhaling deeply. "Please forgive me."

She turned around in his arms and kissed his neck, "I'm sorry too. I should have just-"

"Master Aro."

Julie looked up to see a physically younger male Vampire with dark blonde hair and a air of a Matador-like sauve glide smoothly up the corridor. He regarded the girl with the briefest of glances and a polite nod before returning his attention respectfully to his superior.

"Ah Demetri." Aro replied, turning on the spot to face him, "What is it?"

"You are needed back in the throne room, Master." he replied, bowing his head meekly, "There is someone here who would like to make a report, she says it's a very urgent matter. Something about a doppelganger."

Aro's nostrils flared, if this had anything to do with what happened to Julie's father then he was very interested to hear this. He turned to Julie and leaned down to kiss her forehead, "I'll return soon, cara mia. This shouldn't take long-"

"But I want to come too!" Julie made to take a step forward but Aro pushed her back gently. She let out a frustrated huff and continued to try to push around him, "My Dad-"

"I'll tell you all about it when I come back. I want to check if their information is genuine first." he raised a hand and fanned out his fingers, emphasizing that he planned to read their thoughts. She relaxed slightly and sighed in defeat. Well, better be safe than sorry, she supposed. If what he said about people being eager to join his Coven, then she wouldn't put it past people to make up false accusations to gain their attention.

But how did this person know about her doppelganger?

"I cleared out the first level of the walk in closet for your things. Don't worry if it looks overly bare afterwards, we will be filling it up with new clothing for you when we go out after sunset." he reached out to stroke her cheek again before going off to follow Demetri, "Arriverderci, coniglietto."

* * *

A lone young woman looking no older than 25 years old, stood in the middle of the throne room gazing around lazily as she waited for the third Volturi King to appear. Her skin was slightly tanned, her eyes a bright red that looked far more limpid than that of the Volturi. She had long, medium brunette hair that tumbled down her shoulders in soft curls towards the tips and hung over her slender frame like a flowing river of milk chocolate.

The Kings that were present ignored her while they waited for their brother to arrive. Marcus was staring forlornly in the distance while Caius took up the habit of faking interest in his nails once more. This left the female unfazed, she was here for one thing and one thing alone but quite contrary to what she was supposed to be telling them. She smiled inwardly to herself as the double doors opened and two more arrivals came onto the scene.

Demetri and Aro had reversed positions, the tracker bringing up the rear with his Master leading the way. The raven haired Vampire's eyes found the stranger in the middle of the room and immediately flitted over to her. The woman's smile widened into a sickly sweet smirk as she silently offered her hand to him, knowing that the tactile telepathist was dying to see what was in her head.

However, the touch of her hand held more than just a free pass into her thoughts and memories.

As soon as his hand took hold of hers, something changed in Aro's expression and it didn't look like the regular wave of reactions that played out upon his captivating features. This change also was internal, focused upon his mind and for a fraction of a second, his eyes went blank before returning to life.

The young woman withdrew her hand, looking very satisfied, "Goodbye." was all she said in a smooth, soprano pitch, sounding as though there was a double meaning. Infact it could have come across as creepy the way her eyes flashed with a sort of sadistic glee before returning back to it's disinterested state.

She turned on her heel and walked away, seemingly floating out the doors. Seeing as Aro made no visible objection to her leaving, none of the guards sprang to stop her.

"Well?" Caius prompted in his usual impatient fashion from his throne, "What did you see?"

A faint frown line became present upon Aro's brow as he turned his head, looking rather confused as to why the blonde would ask such a thing. He appeared somewhat at a loss for words, "Pardon?"

"Her mind, Aro. What did you see in her mind?"

Aro began to shake his head slightly, turning slightly on the spot, that frown growing gradually, "Have I forgotten something?"

"Aro, are you quite well?" Caius stood up from his seat, poised to move over to the other male. He glanced over at Marcus who raised his head with a look of surprise on his normally passive face.

"Something's wrong." he rasped, slowly getting up from his seat as well. "What is this?"

Marcus stared, looking almost as confused as Aro was. The mating bond that connected Aro with Julie had grayed out, like someone had taken an eraser to a heavily drawn line of dark pencil and tried to rub it out leaving a shadow of it behind. The eldest Vampire had never seen anything like it in all his years and the look of it made him feel extremely uneasy. Julie's bond to Aro still flared brightly but Aro's to Julie was almost transparent.

* * *

Aro's walk in closet was a surreal experience for Julie, it was like stepping into a museum of historic fashions that dated back to as far as she recognised. The wardrobe had multiple levels, a winding staircase of dark gray marble leading to the upper apartments that housed nothing but her Vampire's clothing. She went exploring properly after she had finished putting her clothes away in the section that Aro had prepared for her. Her supply a mere drop in the ocean compared to his.

She stared, mesmerised as she moved through the various outfits that her fiancee had worn throughout the ages, she had just reached the Renaissance era when she head the door to their rooms opening. She peeked over the staircase to shout down, "Aro, is that you? I'm in here. In the closet!" she giggled before returning back to the various racks and shelves. She took favour to a golden jacket that looked to be from the 1700s. Just for fun, she slipped it on, the garment smelling of dust and faintly of Aro's scent as she twirled around in it. The tails of the coat flared out around her hips, the jacket sagging at the shoulders from the lack of body of it's wearer. She was of course too small for it but thought Aro may get a kick out of seeing her wear it so she began to descend down the stairs to show him. "Did you know that you have a wardrobe that would rival that of the Doctor's? But then again of course it would seeing as you have lived quite a bit longer than he has. He's like… what? 900? According to the first episode of the Seventh Doctor's season, he stated that he was 953 years old, same age as the Rani. She's a female Time Lord, once referred to as a 'Time Lady'…" Julie trailed off, just realising that she had been the only one talking since she heard the door to his bedroom open. Her ramblings were met with eery silence as her feet touched the ground floor. She glanced out the door but couldn't see Aro from that angle so went to venture out into their room.

"Aro?"

There was a firm whack to the back of her head that had the floor flying into her face, or was her face falling onto the floor? She didn't know, she didn't think and now she couldn't see. The world had gone completely black and became lost in a meaningless void. She was no longer conscious of anything.

The last thought she had was a pathetically lame mental outburst of; 'Hey! That hurt!'


	20. Chapter 20

"_Time and the Rani_."

It was a voice that seemed to be floating in from a great distance. A soft echo with each syllable that was thoroughly immersed in a well versed British accent. There was pain in the form of a slight throbbing, a shadow of what it had been for what seemed to be centuries ago.

Julie blinked, turning her head too quickly at the sound of the voice making her head swim sickly. The room was spinning as her glassy, dark gaze settled upon the slender, blonde male sitting across from her with the smuggest look on his face.

"Whu?" she slurred, the sound of her own voice muffled by the intense pressure within her ears. She didn't quite have enough will power to force it to pop just yet so had to put up with the uncomfortable sensation of being muffled.

"The episode you were referring to when the Doctor said he was 953 years old." he repeated looking thoughtful as he watched the girl blink several times more.

Julie furrowed her brow at him once his face came into focus, "Steve?!"

"Despite his unpopularity, I quite liked Sylvester McCoy's portrayal of the Doctor." he went on, ignoring her look of outrage, "He was jolly on the surface but dark and mysterious underneath… too bad those themes weren't explored further by the time the show was cancelled or put on hiatus." he made quotation marks in the air at the mention of the hiatus.

She took in her surroundings, her body rigid and every bit as tense as a deer caught in the headlights. She obviously wasn't in the Castle back at Volterra anymore and upon this realisation, she tried to stand up. This proved to be a foolish thing to do for she wobbled haphazardly on the spot and ended up falling back onto the sofa she had been passed out on.

"What's going on? Where am I?"

"Calm down, love. You're going home."

"What do you mean 'home'?"

"Back to Australia, of course!"

Julie stared at him in horror. She didn't know how this happened or what was going on but she knew that Aro would never let this happen willingly. As she soaked in the new setting around her person, she seemed to be in an aircraft but it wasn't of the Volturi's. While their Private jet was all cushioned leather seats, warm, Celtic inspired patterned interior with tinted windows, this was overly bright with a very sterile sort of feel to it. The seats were harder with velvet like upholstery in the colour of light grey, the walls plain beige and the ceiling and frame work were stark white. It almost hurt Julie's eyes to look at it and given her headache, she retreated her gaze to the deep gray flooring, the dark shade a comfort to her over stimulated senses.

"But I live in Volterra-"

"You really didn't expect me to allow you to stay with that Demon of yours, do you?"

"His name is Aro!" she snarled, snapping her head up and staring daggers at him, "And how dare you... how dare you interfere with my affairs-"

"You poor little baby, he really has you brainwashed hasn't he?"

"At least he has never hit me!" Julie raised a hand and rubbed tenderly at the slight bump that had formed at the back of her skull. It hurt like a mother and she wouldn't be surprised if it had a crack in it.

"Oh yeah... I'm sorry about that. But it was the only way I could think of to get you out of there quietly. I couldn't chance you screaming for help and attracting unwanted attention." Stephen tilted his head to the side as he regarded her with a look of regret on his beautifully boyish features. He got up and took the empty seat next to her and before she could move away from him, he hugged her shoulders in a gesture that was meant to be that of comfort. To her though, made her feel violated and want to vomit.

"When Aro finds out I'm gone, he's going to hunt you down-!"

"Oh, but that's the beauty of it! He doesn't even remember you!"

Julie gritted her teeth, wincing from her headache and the unwanted proximity of their bodies. No matter how much she wriggled and elbowed, Stephen wouldn't let her go."What are you talking about?"

"All memories of you have been erased from his mind."

"Rubbish!"

"Oh but it's true! Isn't it wonderful?"

Wonderful? This man was insane! No one can be forced to forget someone unless...

"I thought you didn't have a gift! Aro told me!" If Stephen had a special talent that made people forget things like Aro could read minds, she had more to worry about then being crushed to death in Stephen's iron clad embrace. Besides the whole thing sounded nothing less than completely ridiculous and was hoping that the Volturi had noticed she was gone and were coming to her get her back.

"That's true. I have no special talent. But a friend of mine does and she was kind enough to perform that favour for me."

"What friend?!" The classic, non-existent 'friend' that people would use as a tool to masquerade their own personal thoughts. At some point in everyone's life, they would use the 'friend' scape goat. But what was the point of Stephen making up such a phantom if he really did have such a gift?

"Does it really matter now? What matters is that we can be together now without you having to break up with Aro. He no longer knows who you are, what you look like, what you sounds like... nor what you..." he bent his head, the icy tip of his smooth nose brushing delicately over her temple. She cringed in response to the contact that he clearly intended to be intimate, "...smell like. God! You're like ecstasy to the senses."

Julie's whole body began to feel cold and not just because she had the unwelcome wintry body of a Vampire pressed up against her. She was suddenly feeling ill and wanted nothing more than to scream at the top her lungs before rolling over and dying. This can't be happening, this all had to be a nightmare! Soon she'll wake up and find that this was all just a horrible figment of her imagination.

"I don't believe you. Aro loves me-"

"I can love you better than he ever can. Don't worry, sweetheart." Stephen cooed, beginning to stroke her hair and Julie fought the urge to cry. Kurt called her 'sweetheart' before he died and again, she wondered how someone so decent could ever be friends with a bastard like Stephen.

Unless there was a slight chance that Kurt, in all his years of knowing this man, was unaware how unhinge he was or had become.

"But-"

"Eve is very thorough when it comes to these things. Any memory Mr Italian had of you is now gone."

"Eve?" Julie murmured, her voice weak and emotionless. Who was Eve? She had lost all feeling in her body as a result from the devastation that set in with the reality.

"She's the one that made this all possible. It cost me everything I had but thankfully she won't come for her payment until later on. It won't matter." he smiled with a somewhat deranged look of tenderness. "Meanwhile Aro will be aware that he has forgotten something but he'll never be able to find out what it is. He'll drive himself mad at the constant wondering about who that faceless girl is in his head... but then again he is already mental so it would be an exercise in futility. Wouldn't it?" he sniggered cruelly at the thought and Julie winced. What a creep!

She pictured Aro wandering around in the dark, eyes staring blindly ahead of him as he reached out as if trying to take hold of something that he'll never be able to touch. It broke her heart and she let out a agonised yelp at the image. If positions had been reversed, she could only imagine how horrific it would be to have constant reminders that used to have significant meaning but could never find out what it is. It would definitely drive her mad and into an early grave, dying without ever knowing.

Unfortunately Aro didn't have that privilege. He would have to live on forever in torment.

Suddenly it occured to her and a ray of hope manifested within her. "What if he finds out about me from someone else's thoughts? I've met his brothers, they'll know who I am-"

"Yes but they won't be his thoughts." Stephen chuckled happily and Julie frowned, trying to comprehend how this wasn't going to work. She felt the hope begin to fade threateningly, "It won't be from his perspective and therefore will be blocked from being absorbed into his long term memory. Any mental image from someone else will be but a fleeting shadow, teasing him of what he shall never know again. It's a feature of Eve's power, she can erase and bar from ever regaining from another source-"

"Unless the memories that were taken is from his own perspective?" Julie said, trying to understand how this sadistic method worked. It sounded as if only a back up of his memories that existed in some form would be the only solution to the problem. Like a puzzle piece that was specificially designed for his mind. Someone else's thoughts simply wouldn't do, it wasn't compatible.

Where did this Eve get off by doing this? Didn't she know that she could destroy someone's mental health irreparably?

Where in the world was she going to find a back up of all thoughts and memories that Aro had of her?

Suddenly something changed in her dark eyes, thankfully a shift that Stephen was blissfully unaware of in his blind glee of the situation. Her facial expression was abruptly devoid of all emotions relating to sadness for a moment. An outsider would think that she had become an empty shell, her soul absent from it's human vessel. However this theory would become quickly nullified as her face turned to look up at the blonde and just as unpredictably, a smile broke out upon her lips.

"You have thought of everything. Haven't you?" she said, her voice becoming soft as if to simulate a very convincing act of awe or admiration, "You are a very smart man. Diabolical."

"Well, when one has been around someone like Kurt for as long as I have, you're bound to learn a thing or two." Stephen grimaced proudly.

"You must really want me."

"Yes! Yes, now you're getting it!" Stephen moaned and nuzzled his face affectionately against her neck. A shadow of disgust flashed through her features before her face rearranged it's self back into forced contentment. "I knew you would understand. I just want to make you happy, love."

A few more seconds passed in silence before she opened her mouth to speak, her voice firm and steady, "How long will it take for us to arrive back in Australia?"

"Just about an hour-"

"Could we visit my Dad? I want to tell him the good news. He never liked Aro so I believe he will be very happy with this new arrangement of ours."

"Of course, darling. Whatever you want!" Stephen began to plant soft kisses up and down the side of her face, "Oh Julie... we are going to be so happy together."

Meanwhile vengeful rage was flaring just below the surface of Julie's passive exterior. She never wished more than ever that she was a Vampire so she could rip Stephen limb from limb for doing this to her. Every touch that he forced onto her made her anger grow and chip away what little patience she had. Nevertheless, she had to make him believe that she wanted to be with him, that she was going along willingly. It was part of her plan that she had devised in her mind during his confession.

He may have been around Kurt for a very long time but Julie was trained personally by him. Under his employment, Kurt had taught her how to handle difficult situations. He always told her to stay calm, that way she could think and plan more clearly about how to overcome an undesirable scenario.

In her brief zombie like state, a mental manifestation of Kurt came to her mind. He smiled fondly at her like he used to whilst she had been his receptionist. He whispered words of encouragement, reassuring her that all was not lost and that she can still win. She may not ever be as good as he used to be but it was enough to make her determined enough to see anything through, to make her come out on top.

It was her turn to find her own victory.

* * *

Aro stood alone in his private quarters, staring down at the ruins of a four poster, king sized bed. A sweetly, seductive scent of a human lingered upon the sheets as well as his own and it made something within him ache longingly.

And he had no idea why.

His golden coat that he hadn't worn since the 1700s lay discarded upon the floor near his walk in closet where he found other articles of clothing that would belong to a young girl. All of which had that same, lovely scent that made that ache become all the more unbearable. At first he thought he must of fed upon this mysterious female and yet there was no signs of spilt blood let alone a corpse.

His brothers lingered at the door way, watching Aro as he wandered around the place getting more confused as the seconds dragged on. He was silent the whole time, looking lost and in dire need of an explanation. Marcus and Caius tried their best to tell him about the little human girl he had met and mated with. They even tried to show him their memories of her. However no matter how hard they tried, nothing seemed to stick and it was beginning to terrify them.

Marcus was especially disturbed, it just didn't make any sense to him how a mating bond can be healthy and pulsating with life at one moment and then be dulled out the next. Looking around, he knew Julie did not leave willingly otherwise she wouldn't have left her stuff behind. There was also the faint scent of another Vampire around that amplified the feeling of uneasiness. She was obviously kidnapped and yet no one saw a thing.

"Who was here?" Aro muttered weakly, returning his gaze back to the ruined bed. "Why is this bed here?" Vampires couldn't sleep and even when he had human lovers, he never bothered with getting a bed. He simply didn't care enough to and so figured that whoever this human was, she had to be special to him.

"You ordered it in for your mate, brother." Caius replied, approaching his side, "Don't you remember anything at all?"

Aro responded by giving the blonde a blank, eerie stare that even made him wince. It was like Julie had been erased from existence in his mind and yet the evidence of her presence remained. This morning Aro had been cooing and cuddling her on his lap and the next, she was gone, leaving a mentally broken man behind.

"But Sulpicia is dead and never needed a bed-"

"I'm not talking about Sulpicia. I'm talking about Julie."

"Who's Julie?"

Caius looked over at Marcus who wearily regarded him. They didn't need to know what the other way thinking because they silently agreed on the solution that would cure Aro of his senile-like state.

They had to get her back.

* * *

It didn't take him long to detect where Julie would be, her scent pleasantly pungent in the air of the Castle. Stephen had of course seen the shambles that was the bed in Aro's rooms and could only guess what happened to make it that way. It angered him to the point of knocking Julie out a little harder than he needed to. He normally wasn't a jealous man but knowing the girl did things to him. Things that were previously unthinkable but then again, what choice did he have when he was up against a man like Aro?

Eve really wasn't a friend of his in any definition of the word. She and her coven were seen as the alternative to the Volturi who offered their services to those who had to go with the very last resort. Her power was feared and yet sought after by those who knew about it. The Volturi have been aware of her power but it was before she touched them and made them forget.

Everytime she was discovered, she simply erased their memories of her and that would be the end of it. They say that she even used her gift upon herself because 'Eve' isn't even her real name. Her true identity had been long forgotten. Infact it was firmly believed that she was older than the Volturi... even older than the Romanians. They say she was the oldest Vampire that ever lived and therefore called herself 'Eve', after the mother of all Humans.

She was the mother of all Vampires.

Stephen had heard about her through the Romanians centuries ago. She was but a legend that put more fear into their kind then that of the Italian counterparts. No one could stand up to her power. Her gift was controlled but if you made her mad, she can destroy your mind until you are nothing but what could be compared to as a brain dead person in a coma.

He was desperate for help and having no useful gift of his own, he needed assistance and traveled to the countryside of Austria to seek her out. He offered her everything he owned in exchange for her help. He gave it all up so he could have the human doppelganger of Sera all to himself. For now he had his wealth but soon Eve will come to take it all from him. But now that Julie had inherited Kurt's fortune, there will be no lapse of poverty once he made her his wife.

Stephen's red Amarok Dual Cab was waiting for him the moment he and Julie stepped off the plane and as per their agreement, he drove her back to Norwood to see her family. He was beginning to have second thoughts the moment his vehicle glided through the iron gates to the Johnstone - nay, Lawson Estate. Something just didn't feel right.

Julie had been so passionate about Aro. She was fiercely loyal to him back when he offered her a ride in Main Street a couple of days ago. Even going as far as to putting herself in danger to protect him from her newborn father's rage. As much as he hated to admit it, she seemed so inlove with his Rival and it made him envy what Aro had with her. But how could she go from aggressive to absolute passivity? It didn't make sense to him.

It was _too easy_.

Stephen had never been to Kurt's home before, infact both men haven't been in contact for decades until recently when he asked him to meet him and Julie on the day of his murder. On the way, Julie explained she had given Kurt's mansion to her father as well as sharing most of her inheritance with him as a going away present. A thought that struck him as insulting instead of selfless.

Kurt had given his fortune to Julie, not her father. It was like biting the hand that fed you.

The mansion it's self was four storeys high, greyish brick work and very modernly designed. There were security cameras situated above the front doors, the spacious patio with polished timber flooring and over at the gates that they entered. The home overlooked a elaborately kept round-a-bout with a classic themed fountain situated in the centre of the lush, perfectly manicured lawn. Short, well trimmed hedging lined the gravel road that lead up and away from the mansion.

Julie didn't so much as take a second glance as she mechanically walked up the steps. She seemed too far away in her thoughts as she rang the doorbell via alittle black button next to the pale, brickwork. Stephen flitted to her side, staring down at her suspiciously. She must of noticed because she tilted her head up and flashed him an overly bright smile.

Yes, something was definitely going on.

Renata was the one who answered the door and upon seeing Julie, she smiled happily and drew the girl into an affectionate hug. If it were under normal circumstances, Julie would feel incredibly awkward but instead she clung to her like her life depended on it. She was within reach of a member of the Volturi and it gave her a sense of security.

The female Vampire noted immediately that her heart rate was higher than usual and that the girl's form shook in her embrace. It only lead to one thing; something was wrong. Although she sort of gathered as much when she saw Stephen instead of Aro by her side.

"Renata. How are you?" Julie breathed, trying to convey silently to her that she was in trouble. She couldn't whisper it to her given that Vampires had enhanced hearing and couldn't make any gestures because Stephen would see it. If only Renata could read minds. But then again, even if she could, her 'shield' would render it useless.

Someone up there must really hate her now.

Renata was not oblivious to the slight waver in her voice and the tremors going through her body. She thought about asking where Aro was but thought better of it, instead she invited both Julie and Stephen in before calling out for her mate.

Renata remembered Stephen and at the time, didn't really think much of him. But if memory served her correctly, Stephen intentionally tried to mislead Martin into thinking that his daughter was raped by Aro.

Aro maybe a lot of things but he wasn't a rapist.

Like everyone else in the Volturi Coven, they definitely weren't oblivious to Aro's tendency to have many lovers, even while he was married. Renata always minded her own business but even so, she knew that each one of those females came to him willingly. He was a King after all and to have his romantic attentions was a compliment.

Upon seeing Julie, Martin flitted over to her at once and swept her up into his arms for a bone crushing hug. His daughter yelped in discomfort and he immediately set her back down, his newborn strength still a bit on the out of control side. Normally, one would think this would worry the younger Lawson but instead, it made her smile.

Good, he was still extremely strong.

"Dad." she said, reaching for him while Stephen kept a firm grip on her other arm. He was getting far too suspicious. For the life of him he couldn't figure out what Julie was hoping to achieve by bringing him here. "You remember Steve... don't you?" She stared up at her father desperately, pinching her eyebrows together in a look that screamed distress.

Renata narrowed her eyes at Stephen at once. Yes, something definitely wasn't right. She reached out and squeezed the elder Lawson's arm in warning.

Martin slid his eyes over to Stephen and nodded, "Yes. I remember." His personal opinion of Stephen was that although he preferred him to Aro, he had still fabricated the truth. He smiled down at his daughter none the less, not missing the look of fear on her face. "Is everything alright?"

"Of course it is!" Stephen butted in, tugging Julie closer until her back was pressed firmly to his front. "Julie and I are getting married."

Julie's look of distress was only amplified at this declaration and the smile was instantly wiped off Martin's face. He still believed that she was too young to get married and to jump from Aro to Stephen so quickly set off alarm bells. He sensed that his child was definitely not here out of her own free will and given how much Aro adored Julie, he doubted he knew anything about this.

"Really?" Martin's expression darkened slightly and Stephen started to look to the door. A reflex that obviously meant he was seeking an escape. A dead give away to the former Colonel.

"Dad!" Julie whimpered, her dark eyes boring up into his bright red gaze, "Remember what you were trying to do to Aro that night before we left for Italy?"

Oh yes, Martin remembered. He had attacked Aro and tried to tear his head off. He also remembered that Julie was screaming at him, begging him to leave the Volturi King alone. A fleeting image of Stephen restraining Julie when she clearly didn't want to be anywhere near him was called to mind and Martin lead out a low growl.

"Do you remember how angry you were when you thought I was being taken advantage of? That someone was forcing themselves onto me-?"

"Julie!" Stephen snapped, now tugging her freely towards the door. "I think we should be going now."

Martin flitted over to the front door before Stephen reached it and blocked his way, "Let go of my daughter, Stephen." he snarled, his eyes darkening with anger.

So, he had attacked the wrong man that night.

"You should be thanking me." Stephen snarled right back, tightening his grip on Julie's upper arm making her cry out in pain, "Admit it. You are glad to see her out of Aro's grasp and it was all my doing. I rescued her!"

While Stephen and Martin confronted each other, Renata rushed forward and took hold of Julie's free arm. The blonde was suddenly knocked off his feet, the little Vampire's gift of aversion sending him hurling into the fireplace on the opposite end of the room. Renata pulled the human away, quickly sitting her down on one of the plush sofas in the sitting room while she and her mate charged at Stephen.

As Julie rubbed her arm, she watched it all happened in a blur. The next thing she knew, Martin had Stephen restrained while Renata had her small hands wrapped around blonde's neck. There was a swift twist and the head was ripped clean off Stephen's shoulders.

"Dad! You have to come back with me." Julie cried out, getting back up and hurrying over to him as soon as the Vampire's remains were tossed into the fireplace. While Renata lit the pile, Martin's eyes slid down to the red, hand shaped welt upon Julie's arm where Stephen had gripped her too hard.

"Back where?"

"Italy."

"Why?"

"Do you still remember every thought and memory Aro had about me? All mental images from his perspective?"

"How could I forget? If I could still sleep, I would have nightmares-"

"You are the only chance I have to restoring him to the way he was before!"


	21. Chapter 21

"I call it the 'System Restore' principle."

"What does that mean?"

"'System Restore' is Windows program that is designed to restore a system back to the way it was before any undesirable changes were made. It was first introduced in Windows ME by Microsoft. NEO Tech computers were installed with their own version of 'System Restore' based on the Windows XP edition called _NEO-storation_, a play on the word 'Restoration'."

"So what does this have anything to do with what has happened to Aro?"

"Think of Aro as a computer and his memories like files on a hard drive. He was perfectly functional the last time I saw him. Sometime within the hour he was away from me, someone hacked into his harddrive, erased vital files that contained my information and left him corrupted. In lamens terms, he came into contact with a Vampire that had a gift that enabled them to make him forget about me."

A aged white Nissan Navara Dual Cab 1990 model zoomed down the highway towards Sydney International Airport. Father and daughter were both sitting in the front seats with Renata in the back. She was leaning forward, listening with both horror and fascination on her exquisite features as Martin and Julie conversed. Although Renata wasn't as neglectful with learning about modern technology as her former Master had been, she was still in awe how much Julie knew about computers.

No wonder Kurt had left her his computer company in his Will.

"How extraordinary!" Renata gasped, shaking her head.

"What's this Vampire's name?" Martin inquired while overtaking a blue hatchback that had pulled off to the side.

"Stephen said her name is 'Eve'." Julie replied, the way she was sitting could only be described as being in deep distress. She had her right arm straight out, clutching the dashboard so hard that her knuckles were beginning to turn white. Her back was pushed up hard against the back rest, the flat heels of her boots elevated, the ball of her feet making her legs quiver involuntarily. "He didn't tell me much about her. Only that she has the gift to making people forget."

"So what's the plan now?" Renata asked her, placing a cool hand onto Julie's shoulder in an effort to offer her some form of comfort.

"Seeing as my Dad has used Aro's gift against him to absorb his memories, my father is going to act as his back up hard drive. A last known check point of previous mental state. A couple of days ago Aro knew who I was and that is more than enough. All my Dad has to do is make physical contact with him, concentrate on the memories that Aro had of me and everything should fall back into place." it took her a few seconds to register in her distraction that Renata was trying to comfort her and so regarded her with a ghost of a smile.

"How about everything that happened between the last time Martin read Aro's thoughts up until the memory wipe?"

"Well... that's where I am hoping the 'everything should fall into place' part will come in. According to Stephen, a mind lock has been enforced into Aro's mind making it impossible for him to absorb any thoughts about me from someone else's perspective. But if Aro regains the memories my Dad 'copied' from his mind back when he remembered me-"

"Then it should jump start his mind into recovering all the rest?"

"Precisely."

"But I thought you just said that Eve can make people forget?"

"That's right."

"So how can he recover something that no longer exists?"

"When you forget something, it is still there but only incapacitated. All you need is a reminder, in this case, an admonition that is specially designed to recreate the primary state that Aro's mind was in before."

Renata blinked, the girl was taking too fast. Even for a human, "What?"

Julie took a deep breath, thinking hard about how to translate to a more appropriate and understandable form of what she was trying to say. She didn't mean to 'show off' her level of intelligence, when she became distressed she used complicated words. A psychological manifestation of her view about how complicated a situation felt to her. She saw all problems as more daunting than what they really were. A trait that incidentally was pointed out to her by Kurt before he began to train her to get over obstacles. "In other words, let's say you have drawn a picture in heavy lead pencil and then you try to erase it. Although most of the picture is gone, you can still make out the outline of what you drew. The image is still there and can be restored if you go over it again."

* * *

The Volturi didn't get where they were without having connections left, right and center. The guards that had been on duty when Aro had been in Australia had relayed to the other Leaders about Stephen and his hostile nature towards them. He was the prime suspect when it came to Julie's disappearance. Demetri's skills of tracking could not be utilized because he had never met Stephen before so they had to resort to Plan B.

According to their sources, Stephen was last seen boarding a plane back to Australia. Julie was no where to be seen but it was assumed that he found another way to smuggle her aboard without the authorities noticing. Not that humans were anything against the speed of a Vampire, even if he were in possession of mortal.

Caius decided to be the one to take their Private Jet to Australia a couple of hours after the kidnapping. Marcus could not go seeing as he was a flight risk on his own and was still in turmoil about how a mating bond can be 'erased' so abruptly. He arranged for Demetri and Felix to go with him. The twins were considered but decided that Aro needed their protection more than he did. They had figured out that the woman who had come to see them had been some how responsible and if she came back, they needed the best on duty to take her down. She was now a marked woman as well as Stephen.

As soon as his plane touched down in Sydney, it didn't take Demetri long to locate Renata, a member of the Volturi guard, in close proximity to the Airport. They could only hope she may have news about Julie.

Although it was a bit much to hope that Julie had escaped Stephen's possession.

* * *

"By the Gods! Isn't that Master Caius?!" Renata pointed to a pale blonde with two equally pale men standing protectively by his side. They were standing at the entrance at the 'Departures' level as Martin pulled the Dual Cab up onto the curb.

Julie exchanged an uneasy look with her father before they all came out of the car. Martin immediately put himself in between Caius and Julie. Renata imitated him, both Vampire's using themselves as shields for the little human.

"Greetings, Master." Renata bowed her head respectfully as he approached them along with Demetri and Felix who eyed her indifferently. Needless to say the news that the aversion shield had left them in favour of Julie's father had gotten around the Castle.

"You do realise that abandonment of our Coven is valid for punishment?" Caius sneered coldly, glaring at her. Renata winced under his icy scrutiny.

"Don't you dare talk to her like that." Martin snarled, his eyes darkening, "She's her own person. She can do whatever the bloody hell she wants!"

"Daddy!" Julie whispered warningly, looking fearfully over at Felix who she remembered was the one who held Kurt still while he was being executed. Felix noticed her stare and grinned at her cheekily as she tried to tug her father's arm.

"Marty, it's okay." Renata, who was looking just as fearful, murmured as she touched his arm as a consoling gesture. She turned back to Caius, "Aro will no longer be in need of my services any more. Miss Julie will be taking my place once she is changed-"

"As long as blood is still flowing through the girl's veins, your _services_ are still required." Caius retorted sternly, staring her down. To him she was nothing but a lowly servant that had no rights other then to obey.

"Is Aro alright?" Julie interrupted abruptly, stepping around from behind and placing herself infront of Martin who looked like he wanted to rip Caius' head clean off his shoulders.

Caius shifted his steely gaze down to the little female, "He has forgotten about you."

Although she knew this, it still came as a shock to her. Part of her was hoping that this was all some big, fat lie. "I can fix it-"

"Yes and that is why we are here." Caius cut in, suddenly taking hold of her arm making Martin spring forward but Felix intercepted and got him in a head lock. Julie yelp objectively and Renata immediately came forward, touched her mate's head and Felix was abruptly thrown backwards.

"Unless you would like your father to get the same treatment as Kurt did, you will come with us without any resistance-"

"I wasn't going to resist!" Julie shouted, making passers by stare at the group of six, "I want to go!"

Everyone fell silent at once as five of the six began to make their way inside, leaving Martin to return back to the Dual Cab and take it to the International parking garage. Renata tried to go with him but after a look of warning from Caius, she decided it would be better to go with the others.

On their way, Julie caught the sight of some Salvation Army volunteers collecting donations out front. A couple of years ago, she and her father had gotten some much needed financial assistance from them after her mother died. The electricity had been turned off on them during the winter months and there was scarcely enough money to feed them so they had to seek help from the charity.

Julie silently promised herself that if her plan worked and Aro regained back his memories of her, she was going to make a very large donation to the Salvation Army. If Aro wasn't going to allow her to spend it, she may as well give it away so someone else in need could benefit from her inheritance.

* * *

Martin was of course the last to board the Volturi Private Jet back to Italy and was obviously not happy with the arrangement. He was more than capable of getting his family to Volterra himself now that he had the funds to do it. Along with Kurt's vast fortune, a Private Jet was among the other 'trinkets' that Julie had inherited that Martin was planning to borrow to visit her with. He had called up before hand to book it but seeing as they were intercepted by the Volturi, Martin ended up cancelling it while parking his car.

Meanwhile Julie looked like she was suffering from chronic fatigue and it wasn't because she had to sit next to Caius. She was in all honesty sick and tired of having to go back and forth from country to country and longed to curl up in a nice warm bed and not leave it for days. All the drama had finally gotten to her and she felt like she just couldn't cope anymore. It was like she was on death row but her execution was constantly postponed. Not cancelled just delayed.

A couple of hours of intense silence into the flight, Julie was suddenly grabbed by Caius and shoved into one of the private compartments with him. She could hear her father protesting but after calling out for him to calm down, his growls stopped. Right now she was far too upset with the whole situation about Aro that she didn't care for her own safety. She just wanted to get to him as soon as possible.

She had an inkling why Caius wanted some time alone with her, probably to taunt her about how unsuitable she is for Aro and how she could never make him happy... but if that were so, why did the blonde aggressively insist that she go back to Volterra with them?

Oh right. Because she was a human and knew about the existence of Vampires.

"Mister Caius." she started before he had a chance to talk, "I know you hate me but is this really a good reason to-"

"I don't hate you, Julie." Caius interrupted, giving her one of his hard stares although it wasn't of coldness or indifference. To her it looked like... pity? "Although I'm not thrilled that Aro has chosen you to be his mate."

"I know, you think I'm not good enough for him-"

"Foolish girl! I didn't mean that!" Caius spat impatiently making Julie jump timidly, "What I meant was that you don't deserve such a terrible fate."

The girl furrowed her brow slightly. She wasn't sure where Aro's 'brother' was going with this and shook her head to signal that she didn't understand. It sounded as though Caius was implying that he thought Julie deserved better than Aro.

"How much do you know about Aro's first marriage?"

Julie blinked, trying to think back to any information relating to his question, "I know his first wife's name was Sulpicia and that she passed away alittle while ago."

Caius pursed his lips together, "I see." he began slowly, looking as though he was second guessing what he was wanted to say to her, "I believe you are entitled to know something about Aro's reputation-"

"I don't need to know. Infact I don't want to know." Julie cut in, shaking her head and raising a hand to stop him, "Whatever happened is in the past now. I am aware of that old saying about people who ignore history are doomed to repeat it but I don't think it matters. Not to me anyway." she looked up at Caius with an air of determination that hadn't been present before when she was around him. Somehow she felt braver than she should be, "People have been trying to convince me to leave Aro and frankly I am sick of it. If Aro doesn't want me anymore, than I'll leave. But until that happens, I'm not going anywhere."

Caius didn't say a word, merely staring down at Julie like she was the most fascinating of creatures he had ever seen in a very long time. The silence stretched on until the girl began to fidget awkwardly on the spot. The blonde finally advanced upon her, "If that's the case, then I am sorry." That look of pity had flashed in his eyes again quite briefly before he swept by her, "I'm so sorry."

The blonde returned back to his seat, leaving Julie behind in the compartment. He sat himself down and stared blankly out the window. The sky was darkening and he could just make out his own reflection.

His apparent dislike for Julie was merely a shield for his true thoughts. Thoughts that he was sure Aro was aware but thought nothing of. He didn't hate the girl, he felt sorry for her.

Looking back, Aro's repeated infidelities towards Sulpicia disgusted him because he could never think of doing the same to Athenodora. At first he was concerned for his sister-in-law but soon started to turn a blind eye when she repeatedly forgave Aro and took him back. At times he didn't know which one was more disgraceful, Aro's womanizing ways or Sulpicia being stupid enough to put up with it.

As soon as Aro took a shine to Julie, he couldn't help feeling angry. Not only was it getting tiresome to see yet another inevitably fall for his brother's charms, it annoyed him that history was just going to repeat it's self. If Julie became Aro's next wife, it would be fair to assume that she would turn into another version of Sulpicia. The poor little wifey locked up in the tower and hopelessly devoted to her cheating husband.

But then he saw the way Aro was catering to the human's every need like his life depended on it. Instead of killing her within the 24 hours he had met her as with all his human lovers, he kept her alive and went as far as to protect her jealously. He looked after her and followed her command like he were a well trained animal. He gazed at her as if she were his idol and worshiped the ground she walked on.

He had never been that way with anyone else. Ever.

Instead of strutting around like the best thing since sliced bread because of it, Julie was humble. She never acknowledged that she was in anyway superior because her actions clearly portrayed that she truly felt she wasn't. She gazed at Aro like he was a God and was deeply surprised that he existed.

She was a good girl and damn it, Caius hoped Aro would not mess this one up.

* * *

"What are you going to wear?"

"What do you mean? What's wrong with what I'm wearing now?"

"I don't know how they do things in Australia but when you attend a Ball here, ladies wear dresses."

A Rolls Royce had come to pick them up at the Airport and the group were being driven through the streets of Rome towards the roads that would lead to Volterra city. Julie was seated next to Caius with Demetri on the other side of the Volturi King, Martin and Renata sat opposite to them with Felix on the other side of Renata.

Julie shook her head, turning her gaze to stare out the window. "Why is the Ball still being held if Aro doesn't remember me? He said it was to celebrate our engagement." she paused, biting her lower lip before returning her attention back to Caius who was staring down at her intently, "What was the original purpose of this Ball? Aro wouldn't tell me."

"It was to find himself a new mate." Wow. The man didn't hold back any punches and although it was on the metaphorical level, Julie still felt winded. The blonde wasn't oblivious to the crestfallen look upon the girl's face but it was the truth. Speaking of which, "Before Aro met you, he was quite the philanderer. Even more so whilst he was married to his first wife, Sulpicia-"

"Caius, please." Julie closed her eyes, her whole body cringing at this piece of personal information about Aro. It was horrible to hear and it didn't make her anxiety ease, infact it made it worse.

The blonde was known for his ruthlessness but truly believed it was for the girl's own good to know exactly what she was getting herself into. Fools rush in after all and the suddenness of their engagement left Caius deeply concerned. If Aro were here, he was sure the man who attempt to throttle him for telling Julie about his past. But he wasn't, so Caius had free reign.

"Every other day it was a different woman. Vampire or human, it didn't matter to him. It didn't take him long to not bother with hiding it from Sulpicia. Of course the woman repeatedly forgave his indiscretions but it just wouldn't stop-"

"I told you, I don't want-!"

"She escaped our care and committed suicide by seeking out an old enemy and begging them to take her life. It was the smartest thing she ever did, I'm sad to say. It was a mercy compared to the pain and torment of being married to someone who didn't love her enough to remain faithful-"

"I said I don't want to hear this!" Julie shouted making everyone in the car jump at her retaliation.

For the next few minutes, everything was silent. The little humans heart was beating like a boombox within her chest, a sound that almost deafening to the Vampires around her. The sound of her shallow breathing was the next loudest noise the small female emitted being the only occupant in the vehicle that required oxygen. Her mind was a flurry of thoughts, all centered around what Caius had told her about Aro. She tried not to care but it still hurt to hear about his history when it came to mating. She dreaded to think that one day he may get tired of her and seek the company of another woman.

"Julie. I like you. That's why I'm telling you this. You are obviously a lovely young lady and you deserve and have the right to know what kind of man Aro is. Better you know now than finding out for yourself later on."

Julie froze. Caius liked her? He was so nasty towards her a little while back and here he was showing her favour? It still felt like he was trying to turn her away from marrying into his Coven and at the same time it suddenly all made sense. He was being mean in hopes of turning her off joining to protect her. He didn't want her to end up like Sulpicia.

But Aro said he loved her. Why else would he do all that he done for her? If he really didn't care about her then why would he waste his time with her? It simply didn't make sense.

"Well, there was only one way to find out if his feelings for her were true." Renata suddenly piped up from where she sat, "The mating bond is a powerful thing. Even in his current mental state, his attraction to her should overcome any barriers, including amnesia. Once he sees Julie, he'll choose her."

Hope blossomed within her and Julie's expression brightened slightly. At the same time that doubting Thomas tormented her with the possibility that he may throw her over for someone else before she even gets the chance to see him.

"When does this Ball begin?" Julie whispered, so low that normal human ears wouldn't have heard her. Caius looked down at his watch.

"It's almost 9. It had begun an hour ago. But fortunately it doesn't matter when it begins, what matters is what happens at midnight."

"Why? What happens at midnight?"

"Aro will have to make a decision to who he chooses to be his mate."

"How long will it take for us to get to Volterra?"

"Take into account we need to get you a dress and if we are very lucky, we'll be there at close to midnight."

Julie was shaking all over, "Well? What are we waiting for? Let's get me a bloody dress!"


	22. Chapter 22

_**Hello everyone!**_

_**Thank you for sticking around this far into my fic. I adore all the feedback, follows and faves, thank you so very much! :)**_

_**Anyway, just thought you oughta know that when the time comes in this chapter, think of the song **__**"Kiss kiss" by Holly Valance**__**. You'll know when! ;)**_

_**Anywho, on with the show!**_

* * *

Aro stood upon the platform as each eligible Vampiress was announced and presented to him for his perusal. Each more stunning then the last but to Aro it was all the same. Their facial beauty was obscured by the masks they wore as for the protocol for such a party but it was still legible to his calculative gaze. Some were former lovers that had reappeared in hopes of cementing the more permanent arrangement of becoming his next Queen, but Aro again showed no such interest. He didn't know why but he felt as though he would be cheating if he so much as looked at one of these females with desire.

Furthermore this line of thinking was inexplicable because he knew he never had such trouble before. When Sulpicia was around, she always took him back making him subconsciously believe that it was okay to keep gallivanting as one would put it. Each time he was 'caught', he expected and was granted forgiveness. It was the same as knowing that the sun was going to rise and set every day. It was just the way things were.

As the minutes ticked by, Aro grew more bored and restless with this matchmaking rubbish and glanced up at the clock that was hanging above the three thrones in the room. He then looked to Marcus who appeared a hell of a lot more bored than he did in his seat before trailing his gaze over to Caius' empty place by his own throne.

"Where's Caius?" he said in a mildly snappish manner, it was almost half past eleven and he still was nowhere to be seen. "If I have to endure this bothersome task, I thought he would at least have the courtesy to be here to offer moral support. This was his idea in the first place."

At first Marcus didn't answer him, looking as haunty and disinterested in his surroundings than ever. When Aro went to open his mouth again, it was then the taller Vampire finally spoke, "Patience, brother. He'll be here soon."

* * *

"Can't this go any faster?!"

"Hold still, Miss Julie. I'm trying to do your make up!"

Julie immediately stopped fidgeting while Renata began to sweep face powder over her face swiftly. After rushing into a designer store, purchasing and changing out of her casual wear, she settled on a elaborate gown of lilac. It was an off the shoulder style with an hour glass-like fitting. The bodice blended into the skirt of the garment that gave the illusion of twisting elegantly around her legs. She knew Aro wanted her to wear either blue or red at the Ball but seeing as she couldn't decide, she compromised by choosing a colour that resulted from mixing both shades together.

Caius sat next to the nervous human with a calculating look upon his face. He approved of the dress. It was sensual yet sophisticated and classy. Despite her small stature, she wore it well and was sure that she would have absolutely no problem with reacquiring Aro's affections. There were a couple of things that needed to be attended to though.

His eyes slid to the fading bruise on the side of her neck that connected to her shoulder and frowned. He knew very well how a bruise like that got there but wanted to spare the girl the embarrassment of pointing it out infront of her father. Before long, Renata had noticed the marks and began to attempt to cover it up with make up. It did the job but Caius thought some extra measures maybe needed to conceal such an embarrassing attraction.

"You're not going to wear your hair like that are you?" Caius said raising a brow as he eyed her messy, long, dark tresses. "Here. Let me."

And before Julie knew it, her hair was done up neatly in an lovely knot upon the side of her head with streams of her asian locks cascading down her front like a waterfall of onyx. Renata squealed approvingly at the look and offered Julie her compact mirror so she could see what Caius had done. The way her hair was positioned, no one would be none the wiser to the evidence of Aro and Julie's intimate activities.

"Oh my gosh."

"There. You look very pretty." the blonde said, his voice soft as he reached out to brush a stray hair out of her face and tuck it behind her ear. A shy smile began to tug involuntarily at the corners of her lips, he was finally being nice to her and she liked it. She really hoped they can finally get along now.

"Thank you, Mister Caius."

"You're welcome, Julie. And please, just call me 'Caius'." he reached into the retail bag that the lady at the shop had handed to him and brought out a mask of black and purple swirls. The mask was designed to cover half of the wearer's forehead down to the middle of the bridge of the nose. The rounded edges would frame the eyes and the cheek bones and conceal half of the face, leaving the lower half of the face exposed. He handed the accessory to Julie for her to look at, "You will put this on before you enter the Ball."

"But Aro wouldn't be able to see my face!" Julie protested, shaking her head quickly, "How is he supposed-"

"It's for the benefit of the mating bond. If Aro is your true mate, he won't need to see your face to be attracted to you. The feeling should be there and that alone is more than enough. Don't worry, you won't be the only one there wearing a mask. All of the women there will be wearing them too. Once chosen, you will then be permitted to take it off."

Julie pursed her lips together, the lipstick she was wearing making the pouting flesh slide together smoothly. She wasn't crazy about the idea but she could see why such a measure should be taken. She was going to be competing against many other women for Aro's affections and with masks on, at least it would reduce the level to a more fairer game.

"Are we nearly there yet?"

"Almost."

"What time is it?"

"A quarter to 12." Caius glanced down at Julie's left hand to which she sported the engagement ring that Aro had given her. "I think it's best you take that off before you go in too."

Julie looked down at it, "But Aro gave this to me."

"Maybe so but seeing as he doesn't recall who you are, you may want to remove it for now. If he sees that beforehand, he may think you are betrothed to someone else. Incase you haven't noticed, this party is for the unattached only."

She looked as though she were going to protest again but thought better of it. She sadly took the ring off her finger and immediately felt naked without it as she placed it into Caius's out stretched hand. He quickly deposited the piece of jewellery into his front pocket before their Rolls Royce finally came to a complete stop infront of the Castle.

The Mask was carefully put into place before she was permitted to exit the vehicle. Caius followed suit with Martin, Renata, Demetri and Felix bringing up the rear. The blonde signaled for the Volturi guards to enter the building another way, dragging Martin with them for good measure. It would seem that Julie was to enter from the front alone.

"How do I look?" the words left her mouth before she had a chance to think about what she just said. Caius turned his head towards her and looked as shocked as she felt but had the decency to again not point it out to save her feelings.

"Like I said before. You look very pretty." he replied as the front door was opened for them and Caius escorted her inside, leading her down towards the elevator. Once inside was then he continued, "You know how they say, 'All is fair in love and war'? Keep that in mind because no one at this Ball is going to simply stand by and let you take what they want if they could help it. We are Vampires and we will stop at nothing to achieve our goals. It's in our nature to hunt and do whatever it is necessary to capture our prey. Be ruthless in your pursuit, Julie. Don't be afraid to take what is yours even if it means stealing, being vindictive and manipulating those around us."

Julie gulped, she seriously didn't like this little pep talk that Caius was giving her. It occurred to her that being a Vampire himself, he would know exactly what he was talking about but she couldn't imagine herself being - for the lack of a better word - a bitch. When she was going to school, she would always be the one that was picked on, lied to, cheated on and stolen from. Bullies were famous for it and to hear she had to become one of them to win Aro's attention?

"I can't do that!" she yelped in alarm, terrified at the thought of morphing into someone she hated. "I don't know how-"

"Then learn!" Caius snarled, grabbing her forearms roughly and giving her a firm shake as if to bring her back to her senses. "Being the pathetic Mary Sue is not the way to go!" He glared down at her and Julie winced at the force of his stare. His grip tightened upon her arms, leaning in close as he whispered, "We like it."

"Like what?"

"A woman who is willing to fight for us." his voice suddenly took on a low and sensual edge. Infact his eyes darkened with his words, "It turns us on when a female guards us like we are their most valued possession. It makes us feel wanted, needed, loved." he blinked, bringing himself out of his own induced trance, "That is what Aro is looking for; a woman who willingly protects him with her life." He began to chuckle softly, although the sound was pleasant and alluring, it still had a twisted feel to it that made her cringe slightly, "Don't get us wrong, men like to hunt, fight and protect as well but it shouldn't be left up to us all the time."

Call her crazy but it began to make sense to Julie and it only made her feel all the more sick to her stomach. She had no problem with proving herself to Aro, for goodness sake she got a man killed and flew thousands of miles to get to him. But becoming something she hated to win Aro over, isn't that going a bit too far?

But then again she may have crossed that bridge when she had Stephen killed for kidnapping her and tampering with Aro's mind.

"What time is it now?"

"Nine to Midnight."

* * *

Aro's brow furrowed, noting it was nine minutes to twelve and yet there was no sign of Caius. He was about to turn and leave when the blonde appeared at his throne, seating himself quite comfortably and regarding Aro with a small smirk. The raven haired King arched a brow at him and the blonde stood back up in response, tilting his head knowingly.

"I know how impatient you must be Aro but I really think you should consider the last applicant before you make your final decision." his burgundy gaze regarded the clock above them briefly but thoughtfully, "We still have time." He nodded over to Demetri and Felix who stood at the double doors and opened them at Caius' signal.

Aro turned his head and was immediately assaulted with the most delicious scent he had ever experienced in all his life. It was then he realised that it had to be the primary source of the aroma he had detected in his rooms earlier that left him in a daze of longing and confusion.

She was the only human in the room and upon noticing this, he quickly swept his gaze worriedly over the crowd of female Vampires who had entered prior to this latest edition's arrival. He noted that all of their eyes had darkened in hunger at her scent and his inner beast roared protectively. But he had no idea why. He didn't even know the young lady in question and yet he was responding to her presence in a possessive manner.

The next thing he knew, he had taken a step down towards the floor as the girl slowly and nervously approached him. With each step she took, something like excitement and anticipation began to buzz within him and rapidly became more intense. He was drawn to her and it wasn't just her scent, it was something inexplicable and it made him feel like he had never experienced life until now.

Meanwhile Julie moved as if hypnotised, seeing Aro again suddenly put her worries to rest. Before the doors opened, she fussed over how she looked, how she should stand and basically how to walk without tripping over her own feet. The mask was uncomfortable and felt strange against her face. The eye holes obscured much of her peripheral vision and was made eager to rip it off at the first opportunity. She tried not to notice the Goddess-like creatures who were all staring at her with predatory eyes. She too found that she was the only human there who was competing.

Aro stared down at her as she came to stand before him and bowed her head out of respect, "Good evening, my Lord." she whispered to him, her voice wavering slightly as she dared a glance up at her Vampire God. "Please forgive my lateness."

At first, Aro didn't say a word. He continued to stare at her in such a way that made the anxiety return with full gusto and become more prominent the longer the silence stretched on. She spared a fearful glance over at Caius who wasn't looking at her but examining Aro's reaction to Julie closely. Out of instinct she then took a quick look over at Marcus who tilting his head slightly as he observed the pair of them.

Marcus saw a flicker of the pre-existing mating bond spring back to life from Aro but it was still fragile as it connected with the girl before him. He knew it was Julie behind the mask because her mating bond to Aro was still as bright and vibrant as it had been since the last time he checked.

Both Marcus and Caius glanced up at the clock, it was now five minutes to and dangerously close to the deadline. Julie noticed this too and began to back away from Aro but not for the reason that it appeared to be.

Prior to entering the room and before Caius left, he informed her that she had to do something to 'entice' Aro to pick her for his mate. At first Julie was alarmed at the implication but Caius quickly clarified the true meaning. From the way he described it, it was like she were in some sort of beauty pageant and had to exhibit a talent to impress Aro. Her gift of being a 'shield' was not going to cut it seeing as Aro was not to touch her until he expressed his intention of choosing her.

As a child, Julie expressed quite a talent for dancing and gained a reputation for being quite the eye catching mover on the dance floor. There was a time when she was 16 and was taken to an RSL club by her mother. Her mother's male friend kept trying to come onto her and to escape his advances, got up onto the floor and began to dance to the music that a live band was playing. She caught the eye of the lead singer and he asked if he could dance with her because he was, in his words 'enchanted' by the way she moved. He was a gentleman though and didn't try to flirt with her, he was too much of a professional for that. It was one of the few nice experience she had with the opposite sex until she met Aro.

Caius, noticing Julie's retreating stance, turned his head and nodded at Demetri who signaled to the DJ to begin playing music. The beat was trendy, up tempo yet seductive and designed to promote attraction of the opposite sex. But then again, most of today's music was like that... an alarming percentage with lyrics leaving little to the imagine.

Julie began to subtly sway her hips and when the intro began to slide into the main tune, the long skirt of her dress was ripped away to the equivalent of a mini skirt. Aro's eyes widened with surprise and unmistakable interest at her exposed legs that sported a pair of white, thigh high, stiletto heeled boots. The same boots she wore that unforgettable afternoon in the carpark back in Norwood.

Something clicked in his mind at the sight of them and a pleasurable shiver ran down his spine as the girl began to move in dance that would have been deemed scandalous in his time. It was likened to the sensual moves of a belly dancer of Saudi Arabia or the slow slither of a serpent in the grass. It aroused his senses and he unconsciously bit his lower lip in want.

The girl allowed the beat to take over her body, she rolled her hips in a circle, ran her fingers through her hair and sunk down to her knees, writhing languidly when it came to the part when the beat broke down. She skimmed her hands up her thighs and thrust her chest out towards him in a beguiling manner. Julie had never tried to dance like this before, but then again she had never tried to attract a Vampire's attention before. The female Vampires around her looked like Victoria Secret models and she couldn't possibly compete with them in the looks department so she had to improvise. Nothing was being left to chance now.

Aro let out a hiss of desire when the girl's small hands began to caress over her body to the beat of the music. He found he was instantly jealous of her hands and wanted to replace them with his own. Infact if such a social protocol didn't exist, he would have taken the girl right then and there infront of everyone. Tearing off the remains of her clothing save those adorable boots.

Why did he have the feeling he had seen such footwear before?

There was a flash in his mind's eye, a small, faceless young woman lying down beneath him with her legs spread and his head between her legs. His hands gripping the crook that was the back of her knees, keeping said limbs elevated in the air. Those same pair of boots were worn by the girl.

This didn't feel like a fantasy but a memory.

Out of no where, Julie was knocked off her feet and fell in a heap on the hard, marble floor. There was a snarl of warning and the human looked up to see a tall, willowy female Vampire with long brunette hair leering down at her.

_"You know how they say, 'All is fair in love and war'? Keep that in mind because no one at this Ball is going to simply stand by and let you take what they want if they could help it."_

Caius' warning finally hit home with her the moment she stared up into the face of one of her rivals, her beautiful features twisted in anger beneath her own mask of deep red. Julie mentally likened her to a aggravated wolverine who was just about to rip into her prey.

Aro was not looking at the female Vampire who had vindictively knocked the female Human onto the ground, thus ruining her dance. Instead his eyes strayed to the girl's now exposed intimate regions. The skirt of her dress had flown up when she fell backwards and not only revealed her undergarments but the bruise marks upon her inner thighs.

He knew she can't have possibly gained such injuries from her fall but from-

There was another flash and Aro distinctly had the impression that he had seen such injuries before and he involuntarily howled softly at the sight of them. He didn't know how but he was sure he was the cause of them and it made him feel extremely guilty.

Meanwhile Julie glared up at the Vampiress that pushed her over, disregarding the fact that the immortal could easily rip her limb from limb like a ragdoll. She made to stand but her left leg became unsteady and almost fell again. She placed her arms out to balance herself, looking somewhat like a ballerina about to perform a pirouette before looking down and seeing the cause of her clumsiness.

The heel of her left boot had broken and was hanging by a thin strip of wood.

She was devastated. Infact she was quivering all over from the impact of her humiliation as she stared down and her ruined shoe. There was an out break of cruel giggles from the crowd around her, some began to emanate teasing 'boo hoo' noises. It was like she was at school again the bullies had ganged up on her.

"Aw look! The wittle human has bwoken her wittle boots!" screamed one in a mock baby voice that sent some of the girls in fits of nasty laughter.

"You're not going to run off and cry are you, baby girl?" simpered another gleefully.

"Stupid little ape, I'm embarrassed for the both of us."

"You don't belong here!"

"He will never want you!"

"Who would want a weak little human like you? You wouldn't last one night with him!"

I already have, she thought bitterly. It took all her self control not to say anything back. She busied herself by merely looking down at the ground and trying to concentrate on keeping herself from crying. She was in a dark place in her mind, everything was shutting down. How could she fight for Aro when she couldn't even defend herself? Each one of these Vampires could easily kill her. What in the world could she do?

It was then she became aware that all their taunting had been silenced. There was a cold sensation upon her upper arm and her primal sense of survival began to kick in. One of those bitches had grabbed her!

She tried to make a run for it but she immediately stopped squirming when she realised that it was Aro who had taken hold of her.

He stared at her with a sense of bewilderment, "I can't read your thoughts, cara mia."

Julie involuntarily sighed blissfully when he had called her 'cara mia'. It wasn't 'coniglietto' but it still brought about a sense of familiarity for her. It was simply the way he said it. It was almost a whisper, soft and sensuous that sent her heart into overdrive. She glanced down to where his hand connected with her bare skin.

"Yes, well. I've always been a bit strange like that." She did think it was strange. With all the awesome gifts that Aro, Renata and Martin had, her 'gift' was very dull and boring in comparison. Right now she would love a gift that she could use to defend herself with. Maybe something like Jane's that would make all these nasty women leave her alone.

Gentle chiming could be heard and when Julie and Aro looked up at the clock, they saw that it was now midnight.

Aro was the first to look back at Julie, his grip upon her arm tightened as she wobbled against him. His scarlett gaze went down to the broken heel of her boot and bit back an angered growl. He had been enjoying watching her dance and he didn't appreciate the interference that resulted in the vandalism of such an attractive piece of foot wear.

Even if it was to compete for his affections, it did nothing to attract him. Infact it repelled him.

"It's midnight." Julie said in a low voice that was more to herself and then to anyone else.

"Yes." Aro confirmed with a gentle nod. His arms were suddenly around her waist, pulling her close.

"Isn't this when - you know - you choose your-?"

"Yes."

Julie finally noticed the way Aro was holding her and finally understood. He began to purr against her contently and it was then she forgot herself and leaned into him, resting her head upon his chest. His purrs only increase in frequency and intensity, he was cuddling her now like she was his precious kitten, stroking her hair and brushing his lips against her throbbing temple.

It felt good to be held by him like that again. It made all the trouble worth it.

"But you can't!" the Vampiress that had pushed her over protested in disgust, "She is not worthy! She-"

Aro let out a very loud and intimidating snarl, gnashing his teeth and tightening his hold possessively around his little human. He squeezed her fragile frame snugly in his arms jealously. Julie peeked up at him from where she was and observed that she had never seen Aro look so ferocious.

"How dare you..." he hissed, his eyes widening and wild with rage, "So you think I don't have a say about who I want to mate with?!"

"N-no! That's not what I meant-"

"What did you mean then?! THAT YOU THINK YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO TELL ME - A KING - WHAT TO DO?!" his screaming was acidic and although Julie was well aware that he was defending her honour, it still scared the life out of her. Yes, she had witnessed him shouting before but never like this. His wrath would petrify the Gods themselves.

"Let me show you that I would be the better choice!" the Vampiress quickly retorted, pointing at Julie who was cowering in his protective embrace, "I challenge her to a fight!"

She didn't know how it happened but Julie couldn't help the scoff that escaped her lips. She really had to cut out this habit of not thinking before she spoke. At the same time it was just ridiculous the way the woman was carrying on like a spoilt child that didn't get her way. Julie could almost picture her flailing around on the floor in a midst of a Vampire sized tantrum.

Aro looked down at Julie and reached out to tap her nose affectionately, "Aren't you going to answer her?"

_"We like it."_

_"Like what?"_

_"A woman who is willing to fight for us."_

Julie offered Aro a timid little smile before she turned her head and threw the Vampiress the filthiest look she could muster.

"I'll tell you what. When I become a Vampire, we'll fight."

"When you become a Vampire?!" It was the Vampiress' turn to scoff, smirking at the girl, "Oh please!"

"You heard me!" Julie replied, raising her voice and taking to talking very slowly as if she were trying to communicate with a person who could not understand english. "It would be better won't it? As a human I won't be a challenge. But as a Vampire... defeating me would bring more satisfaction. Would it not?"

Aro giggled madly beside her, amused at her attempt to mock her challenger's intelligence.

"Aro has chosen his mate." Caius bellowed from the platform above them. "This Ball is over. Get out!"

Julie's mouth fell open at the blonde's abruptness. Here she was thinking this was some sort of high society function and Caius comes out like he had just arrived to see a party being held at his home without his permission.

"Brother!" Aro crooned from where he was in a disciplinary tone. Everyone stared at him as he then added, "You forgot to say 'please'!"


	23. Chapter 23

Julie was still wrapped up tightly within Aro's arms long after all guests of the Ball had left. Her attempts to wriggle out of his grasp came up fruitless for he refused to let her go. She let out a breath that she wasn't aware of holding and looked up at him, he gazed back down at her with a look that was of curiousity and adoration. Although she was getting slightly annoyed with being restrained like she were a puppy that was trying to run away, she couldn't help the smile that graced her lips.

She had no intention of leaving him, she just needed to breathe!

"Aro, you are smothering the poor child." Marcus rasped as he came to stand, staring at the two looking as intrigued as someone in his depressed condition could look.

When Aro finally relinquished his hold enough for Julie to be able to stand on her own, it was then he said something that made her feel a flicker of hope.

"Don't I... know you?" he muttered to her, his hands still on her body, specifically upon her waist. He didn't want her to go too far just yet, not when he just found her. Before the Ball began and most of the duration, he had no interest in finding anyone to be by his side. However the moment this little girl walked through the door, something told him that she belonged to him.

Julie nodded slowly, raising a hand and running the pads of her fingers gently over his cheek, making him purr again, "Yes, you do." she replied quietly, swallowing heavily. She was itching to take off her mask but decided against it for now. Lord knows why seeing as she was eager to be free of the accessory before. "And all this will make sense to you soon. I just need you to stay right here for me, please. Would you do that for me?"

"Of course, cara mia."

She smiled in relief, half expecting him to argue. "How bad has it been?" Julie directed this question to either Marcus or Caius although she was still looking at Aro. Before Julie and Caius started to recently get along, she had stayed silent the entire flight back to Italy. She wanted to ask more specific questions about Aro but she had been too wound up in her own mental and emotional torture. At times she felt as though someone had reached into her chest and was squeezing her heart until it borderline burst.

"It has been difficult." Caius replied, staying in his seat, "Almost as bad as the last time." He was referring to when Marcus lost Didyme although the circumstances were obvious not similar. But Julie knew what he meant anyway and therefore didn't ask for any clarification. If she hadn't been so distracted with her determination to have Stephen dismembered, she would have been a complete emotional wreck herself. Absolutely devoid of all thoughts and feelings other then the turmoil of being forcefully removed from her mate's presence.

She would have become like Marcus.

"So, how did you escape Stephen's capture?" the blonde went on, rising from his seat lazily. There was a flicker of comprehension upon Aro's features at the mention of the British Vampire's name. Julie noticed this change but had no time to dwell upon it before she was forced to respond to the enquiry.

"How did you find out about Stephen?"

"Afton informed me of his existence. Once he is captured-"

"You don't need to worry about that, Caius." Julie's face darkened slightly, "I had my Dad take care of that." she took a deep breath, trying to calm the anger and disgust that bubbled within her at the thought of him.

The most sadistic of the Volturi Kings suddenly smirked slyly, "And you said you didn't know how..." He was of course referring to Julie's prior protests about her inability to compete with Vampires to the point of resorting to manipulation and backstabbing. The look on his face was equivalent to that of admiration and honestly it made Julie feel both ashamed and proud at the same time. "It must of taken alot of planning and persuasion on your part. How diabolical!" he leered at her, his smirk widening, "I swear, if I wasn't married-"

"Caius!" Julie raised a hand for him to stop talking. However she wasn't sure how effective such a gesture would be to silence him. She was painfully aware how he previously proved that he didn't know when to stop talking, no matter how much she had begged him to. Also given Aro's track record, she wasn't in the mood to deal with his animalistic possessiveness at this point in time. She was much too tired.

Instead of launching into a tirade of abuse, Aro instead nuzzled her neck making her stiffen next to him. She was suddenly feeling self conscious about showing such a level of affection infront of his family, "I take it as a compliment, my dear."

She stared at him and he smirked right back at her. Alright, who are you and where is the real Aro?!

Speaking of family.

"Where's my Dad?" Julie squeaked abruptly and Aro withdrew immediately, raising a brow at her in question. She could almost hear what was going through his head and it sounded very much like, _Don't you think it's alittle early to be meeting the parents?_

Caius cocked his head in Felix's direction, "Bring in Martin."

It was now Aro's turn to stiffen at Julie's side, "Martin? As in Martin Lawson?!"

Everyone with the exception of Felix who had already flitted out of the room, turned to look at Aro. So he remembered Julie's father and Stephen but he didn't remember her?

It got her thinking about how Eve's power worked. It seemed as though it didn't exclude those that were linked to her in some shape or form. Like someone had taken a picture of them all and photoshopped her out of the image.

Meanwhile Aro looked as though he had just been told he had contracted a deadly disease and his grip around Julie tightened as if she were his security blanket. She winced, the bruises she had sustained from Stephen's and Caius' rough handling of her were making themselves known once again. This time she couldn't hold back the pained yelp that escaped her lips. If this kept up, she would be black and blue from head to toe.

Aro remembered Martin Lawson alright. He remembered how savage he had been with him, almost succeeding in being the one to tear his head off when so many others before him couldn't even get close. He remembered his gift of absorbtion and how his own gift of mind reading was used against him, leaving his entire soul bared to the enraged new born.

"Aro, it's okay..." Julie raised her free hand and stroked his cheek as a gesture of comfort despite her own obvious discomfort, "He's here to help-"

"What's he doing here?!" he rounded on her, almost screaming in her face making her back up involuntarily in surprise.

There was the sound of doors opening, a roar of anger and a dark blur rushing past her face. The next thing she knew, Martin had thrown himself at Aro, wrestling him to the ground, his hands around his neck, just like last time.

Oh no, not again!

As soon as he entered the throne room, Martin only saw Aro yelling at his daughter and manhandling her that set of his paternal instincts. It seemed as though everytime these two met, a fight broke out with his newborn strength being his literal strongest advantage.

Amongst her panic, it suddenly occured to her. Martin was touching Aro's bare skin! Contact has been made!

"Dad!" Julie shouted over at him, "Focus!" Given his hostile nature at the present moment, it only gave Martin a couple of seconds of physical contact before the guards would restrain him.

The Lawson Patriarch, through his fierce impulse to protect his young, remembered what Julie wanted him to do. He quickly forced himself to concentrate on all he had seen in Aro's head from the last time he touched him. Every thought and memory he had of his daughter, he forced to the forefront of his mind for Aro to see and utilize to fill in the blanks within his own brain.

He saw the mental barriers that had been locked in and easily broke them down. All was finally falling into place in Aro's mind, repaired of it's corruption and rebuilt to full functionality. Martin reversed the damage like it had never been there in the first place. Everything from the first time he had seen Julie in the protective arms of Kurt Jouissance, alias Curtis Johnstone to their time bonding in Australia. The rest followed and before his full memory was restored to it's pulsating glory to be seen by the father of his Bride, Martin was dragged off Aro and restrained by Felix.

* * *

Julie was back in their private quarters, Aro had passed out from the mental connection and was lying on the ruins of their bed. She was hovering over him anxiously, fearful of what happened because she thought Vampires couldn't sleep. What if Aro never wakes up? Was her theory dangerous more than it was harmless?

Martin and Renata were made to wait near the Secretary's desk with Felix and Demetri standing guard over them. Her father was pardoned for his attack on the technicality that his original intent was to help on the behest of his daughter. By rights, because he was Julie's father, he had diplomatic immunity but then again it was up in the air depending on if Aro regained his memories of her. Much to her dismay, Caius made a ruling that if the attempt to restore Aro to his previous state of mind proved to be unsuccessful, then they were within their right to banish him from Volterra indefinitely.

Looking around, Julie saw that the bedroom was precisely the same as it was left the last time she was here. Even the gold jacket she had been playing dress up in was in the exact same place to which she had fallen over.

That feeling of having her heart squeezed within her had returned and she leaned over and brushed her lips over Aro's forehead.

Despite his amensia-like state, he was a sentimental old fool.

A sentimental old fool that made her smile.

* * *

"Please... Please forgive me! I'm sorry, cara mia. I love you! I don't want him!"

"You were practically throwing yourself at him! After all he's done to you, you still-"

"No, no, no! I hate him! I don't want him! He makes my skin crawl! You're the one I want, mia amore. Mia salvatore, voglio solo te!" (My savior, I just want you!)

The smaller of the two Vampiresses glared down at the other who was on her knees in a pleading stance. She clung to the girl's hips imploringly, gazing sadly up at the other female with her crimson eyes shining with venom tears that would never fall. Her entire, willowy frame was shaking with her sobs as she buried her head desperately into the other Vampire's slender abdomen.

The female that remained standing had long, shimmering dark hair that almost touched the top of her posterior. Her eyes were big and slightly slanted from asian heritage and her lips were full and dark pink bordering on red. Like Jane Volturi, for someone of such small stature, she emitted a vast amount of dominance and authority over her taller partner who seemed more than content to play the submissive role.

"So you really don't want him?" the small Vampire girl said, her voice low and dangerous, continuing to stare down at the whimpering woman before her.

"No. I want you, Sera. I love you!"

A little smirk stretched at her pouty lipped mouth as she took pity upon her and granted the woman before her affectionate contact in the form of a gentle stroking of her perfectly wavy, brunette tressess. Her partner moaned softly in response as if she was starved for attention, leaning into the girl's touch. She writhed against her like a animal in heat, unshamed of physically expressing her carnal desires.

"Alright, my darling Sulpicia. I forgive you."

Sulpicia quickly looked up at Sera, her eyes full of love and gratitude as she grabbed the hand that had been stroking her hair and nuzzled into her palm. She leaned in so she was pressed firmly up against Sera's small frame for mere words could not express her longing for closeness.

"Oh Sera, you're wonderful!" she repeatedly kissed the girl's palm, holding it firmly against her wanton mouth while her free hand ran over the enticing curves of her body worshipfully. "I just got carried away. She looks so much like you. I got jealous because for a moment, I thought it was you and I didn't want him touching what was mine!" She emphasized her point by reaching out with both hands and wrapping them possessively around Sera's waist. "You're mine. MINE!"

Sera chuckled, loving how Sulpicia got so incredibly jealous over her. She was jealous of her too and rarely let the woman out of her sight. The moment she saw her mate, she guarded her like a ferocious wild cat, threatening to kill anyone that even dared look at her. Infact she craved the head of her ex-husband for his ill treatment of such an exquisite specimen of feminine beauty.

"Eve will not be happy to hear that little brat has escaped Stephen's care and was present at the party-" Sera was cut off by Sulpicia's agonised wail. She looked down to see her lovely face twisted in anguish and hatred.

"Oh please, my love! Don't say his name! I despise him so..." she shook her head, withdrawing her hands to cover her ears, "How he could have ever been engaged to you-"

"Who? Stephen?" Sera snorted as Sulpicia cringed looking severely offended, like the girl had just let slip a disgusting swear word, "He was nothing to me. Even while I was still human. It was an arranged marriage my dear father sorted out for me. I never loved him, I just went along to make my father happy." Not only that but Sera lived in a time that being a lesbian was frowned upon. Having a husband was a front to make sure she wasn't tortured and put to death. "My poor father... he didn't deserve the punishment he got for protecting that little bitch."

Oh yes, Sera had been present the day Kurt was executed. She had found out about his whereabouts via the informer that worked for her at the time. She had been hiding in the neighbouring warehouse that Kurt and Julie were apprehended in front of and was forced to watch as her father's head was torn from his body and burned to ashes. Worse still, she was a coward and remained hidden because she was scared. Sulpicia, who she had been mated with for months prior, had begged her not to defy the dominating coven of their world because of their power.

It was a miracle in it's self that Sulpicia managed to escape when she did.

But back to the matter at hand, Kurt had died never knowing that his real daughter was still alive. Sera had not been murdered but turned. Not by her attacker but by Eve.

Sera was lying alone in the woods. Dying from severe blood loss and countless broken bones. The Vampire had crushed her while he took her virginity, he was not gentle and all the while she cried and pleaded with him to stop. She didn't know why he just didn't kill her at the time but knew that it was her gift in it's dull human form. Sera had the gift of persuasion.

She somehow convinced him not to kill her so he raped her instead.

Sera was definitely Kurt's daughter through and through. His gift of strategy had been inherited by his daughter in the form of making people see her way. Compared to her father's talent, hers was limited. She was only able to persuade one person at a time.

She now knew that killing her would have been a mercy.

When she had first seen Eve, she mistook her for the most beautiful angel she had ever seen in her life and murmured for her to put her out of her misery. She was in so much agony that she could barely breathe. What followed next made her current state of pain mere child's play.

Three days of feeling like she was being burnt alive. The angel had tossed her into the flames of Hell. She screamed so loudly that she was sure the Gods could hear her pain. When it was finally over, the thrill and power that came with being an immortal was like a reward for surviving her transformation.

She lived with Eve and her Coven for 900 hundred years, all the while being lead to believe that her father had died trying to hunt down her murderer. But as soon as she gotten word that Kurt was alive and well, she immediately made plans to see him in hopes of being reunited with her loving father.

But then she heard about her doppelganger, Julie Lawson.

Kurt had replaced her with a human substitute. Worse a human substitute that gotten him killed.

Sera was understandably jealous and upset and in a fit of vengeful rage, tracked down Julie's father, Martin Lawson with the intention of stealing his loyalty away from Julie by posing as her and killing him. That way it would teach that human faker about stealing Daddys from other little girls.

She thought she had succeeded in killing Martin but heard from Eve who was told by Stephen that Martin was turned into a Vampire instead. But how? She had been so careful not to have allowed her venom to enter his blood stream.

"Sera?" Sulpicia cooed, stretching up to rest her head underneath the other female's chin, "What should we do now?"

"Come, my love. I have a plan to even the score."


End file.
